A King's Request
by EmilyF.6
Summary: When Lady Anne agrees to a favor for her friend and King, she finds herself in a land she thought only existed in fairy tales, and she soon finds herself traveling with a fellowship made up of the best warriors she's ever met, all sharing the same goal: destroy a ring. But there are those who do not believe that a woman can be a warrior. (A sort of Tamora Pierce crossover.)
1. Of Knights and Favors

**So…this is a LOTR sort of crossover type story…kind of. The main character is from a kingdom that I imagine as Tortall from Tamora Pierce's novels (Song of the Lioness quartet, Immortals quartet, Protector of the Small quartet, etc) but she is completely my own invention. Also some of the facts (Like who is king) are also changed, so it isn't listed as a crossover. Anyway, I really love LOTR (obviously) and wanted to try my hand at this. I hope you enjoy. (Does anyone still read LOTR fanfiction? I hope so.)**

A King's Request

Of Knights and Favors

Anne stared at the intricate carvings on the floor a few feet from her face, the white marble melding with the black, and the little golden flecks forming random shapes before her eyes until she heard a snicker. "Are you going to kneel there all day?" Smiling, she looked up at her king and stood, her hands clasped in front of her in more informal pose. The man before her, tall and handsome as he had been in their youth, had been her constant friend since her eleventh birthday when she had come to the palace to train for her shield.

"You called for me, Ron?" She asked, taking note of the lack of guards in the great throne room. It was rare for her to catch such a private moment with the king of the realm nowadays, but they were seldom formal in public anyway, and her informality was reciprocated.

"Anne…I need to ask something of you." She frowned a bit, her hands relaxing themselves. The last time she had been asked a favor in this manner, she had been sent out to fight centaurs at the border, nearly dying in the process. Still, she was the head of an entire company, one of the foremost knights in the realm, and one of only five female knights to serve the King, despite a lift on the ban which had forbidden women to even attempt the training. At 20, Anne was on her way to being the top knight in the realm, maybe even replacing the current champion one day. That is, if she lived to see her 21st birthday. Her king and friend's face was particularly grim. "Do you know of Lord Elrond, Anne? Of the elves of Rivendell?"

She lifted an eyebrow at the name. "The legend of Middle Earth, my lord?" She asked, forgetting their friendship for an instant amidst the surprise.

"It's hardly a legend, Anne." He scolded softly. "He contacted me. Middle Earth is very much a real place, my lady." His eyes teased her, but his tone was serious. "There are very few sailors who know how to navigate to their shores, and even fewer who will dare attempt it. But Lord Elrond has all but pleaded with me. There is an evil at work in their land, and if we sit by and allow it to take over, who is to say that it will not come here next? And who would come to save us then? Are you willing to bet our safety on the lion of the mythical realm of Narnia?"

"Ron…you're talking about fairy stories. Children's tales. How can…" She hesitated at his sharp look. Friends they may be, but he was still her king. She took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm. If Ron wished to send her on some ridiculous quest to a land that didn't exist…well, who was she, a common girl from the countryside turned knight, to argue. "I beg your pardon. Of course you are right. If this Lord….Elrond?" He nodded. "Lord Elrond needs assistance, then it shall be given. Who will accompany me, if I may ask?" This time her eyes were teasing, and his face relaxed into a smile.

"That blasted bird of yours, I daresay. But I am sending you alone. I have the utmost of faith in your ability to represent our land, and I have every company available at the border. Those giant spiders you spotted were no joke, and our neighbors from the west seem intent on invading us. I need every spare knight and soldier patrolling. But you've got your company trained. It won't hurt them to be without you for a while. Besides, I wouldn't do Lord Elrond the injustice of sending just any knight." She felt her face grow hot. Compliments were something she tended to squirm her way out of, but he had just said to her face that he thought she was great. Bowing stiffly and ignoring his chuckle, she begged off to go pack and he agreed, telling her that the rest of her information would come in a day's time.

* * *

Stepping back into her chamber, she looked longing at the large bed for a moment, then sighed and reached under it for her pack. The bag was quickly filled with all manner of sensible clothing; shirts, breeches, hose, tunics, and even a dress, in case this mythical Lord Elrond existed and expected his women to look presentable. After pulling out her charmed stone, made for her by a good mage friend that would keep her monthlies from bothering her when she was out 'questing' as the woman had teased, she threw some cotton pads into the bag just in case. She had learned long ago that certain things could not be replaced if the need arose.

Her sharpening stone, the spike strap for her hair, and a pair of gloves were thrown in as well. A pecking at the window interrupted her packing and she smiled at the raven perched there. "Hello Mori." She held out a hand and the bird leapt on to her wrist, making her way up to Anne's shoulder, then tugging her hair affectionately.

"Another quest?" The bird wondered. Anne shrugged, long past the phase where she was surprised by the strange bird's ability to speak to whichever people or animals it chose.

"Ron's got it in his head that the elves of Rivendell need my help." She mumbled irritably. The bird was strangely silent and Anne stiffened, turning her head to catch a glimpse of her black little friend. "Morrigan? Are elves...Is there a Lord Elrond of Rivendell waiting for me on the other end of this journey?"

"There are many things waiting for you at the end of this journey, Annie girl." The bird said cryptically, then flew onto her perch and began cleaning her ebony feathers.

Anne stared for a moment, then sighed, knowing all about the stubbornness of ravens. "Very well. Keep your secrets. I'll learn soon enough." Still, her curiosity was piqued. If there was a Middle Earth, and this 'Lord Elrond' wasn't a hallucination of a hard-headed king, then what was she to do with it? She was a knight, a young one. Facing some vague evil in a strange land was hardly something she was prepared to do.

* * *

The next day she woke at dawn, sure that this would be the last good night's sleep she would get for a while. Stretching and moaning until the bird nipped her ear for complaining, she sighed and threw herself back on the pillows. "I hate the morning." She grumbled, pulling herself out of the nest of covers and putting out some bread left by one of the servants for Mori, even though the bird could easily hunt for herself. After sampling some of her own breakfast, she dressed in her traveling clothes; a tunic and hose, sturdy, comfortable boots where she hid her two short knives, her gloves, a belt which held her sword, and a heavy hand fan given to her by a good friend in the court. The razor blade edged fan served as both decoration and as an 'appropriate' weapon for women of a higher status. The large weapon-in-disguise had served her well many times, and she wouldn't travel without it.

She stared at her bow for a while. It was a long bow, nearly as tall as her, and was useful if inconvenient to carry, much like her glaive. She decided to ask Ron's opinion when they met, then, bird on her shoulder and pack on her back, she went to get her orders from the King.

Anne always noticed the beauty of the palace when she was about to leave it. It had been her home for nine years now, and the occupants felt like family. When she had first arrived on the day of her birthday, a cold and exhausted runaway, she had feared the giant halls, the ornate furnishings, even the carefully quiet serving girls. But now, after five years of going out on quests and into battles, she couldn't imagine coming home to any place else.

Ron waited in a small chamber off the throne room, two guards, old friends of hers, flanking the door. She smiled and bowed shortly at the two men who allowed her inside, then stepped in front of the door. Ron was sitting on a low chair, and looked her over. "Perfect." He stated in approval. "Anything more, and you would be inconvenienced." She nodded a bit in disappointment. Traveling without either glaive or longbow would be hard. A row of small throwing knives were belted to one calf, but they wouldn't last long in a real battle. "I have a map for you." He pulled out a leather envelope, inside of which was a neatly folded map which showed a strange place, made up of places with strange names, like 'Mordor' and 'the Misty Mountains' both of which sounded rather ominous. "Ride to the eastern border. You'll meet a captain there, watching for you. He has promised you safe passage. His fare has been paid in advance." She didn't bother asking how long he had been planning this little trip, nor for how long he had known of the existence of this 'Middle Earth.' He would certainly never answer.

"Thank you. I will leave immediately." She bowed shortly, and turned to leave when he caught her hand, pulling her to a stop.

"Anne…" He pulled her face close, resting his forehead against hers, a habit from their childhood they had dropped years ago, when both were squires and were expected to behave with some decorum in public. "I'll miss you."

"Try not to get into too much trouble when I'm gone." She said lightly. He grinned at her discomfort and kissed her hand, knowing exactly how to annoy her. She swatted him away and left the room, refusing to let herself look back.

"I'll be back." She whispered to Mori, though she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.

* * *

The ride east was uneventful, save for a few bandits. But those were dispatched easily enough, and after three days on the road, she found herself taking deep breaths of salt air with mixed feelings. Boats weren't particularly fun to ride, but it was her destination that worried her. The map, well worn with her own use, was nearly memorized by now, but anxiety curled in her stomach as the sea finally came into view. 'What if I forget were everything is? What if I lose the map? What if this is all a trap?' She tried to shake her head to dislodge her negative thoughts. The annoying habit of imagining the worst against her will seemed to be fighting her common sense, on which she prided herself, and she forced herself to imagine the map again, going over the odd names and the roads which sprouted throughout the realm like roots of a tree, going at strange angles and sometimes ending abruptly, as roads were wont to do. Mori gave a little trill and nibbled her ear, trying to calm the young lady knight, and eventually she was able to breathe easily again.

The captain of the little ship, who stood a good foot taller than her and was burly and brusque, ordered her to a cabin immediately an order with which she easily complied. She still knew next to nothing about the contraptions and had little desire to. For a full seven days she spent much of her time in the room, with a window open to allow her friend room to fly, and did little other than stretch to keep her muscles from tightening, and sword exercises. Skills wielding her fighting fan were sharpened, as was her aim with the little throwing blades. Needless to say, but the end of the week, she was wondering if swimming home would be an option.

Stepping off the gangplank and onto the green shore after the horrific boat ride was over, Anne looked around the unmagical looking and totally empty hills and forlorn looking river which seemed to go on for miles with a bit of disappointment. She had been expecting...a bit more. Thinking back to the map, she realized that she had to go northeast along the river to reach the city of Rivendell. She also realized that she didn't have a horse. Swearing softly, she began to walk, coming up with creative curses for her king and best friend.

**I know that there a probably going to be a couple of inconsistencies…for instance, I have no idea how long it would take to get from the coast of Middle Earth to Rivendell. But I hope these don't detract from the actual story. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter**


	2. Elves

Elves

Anne ran out of curses after only a few miles. Thanking every god and goddess Ron believed in for the river racing along beside her and guiding her, she stopped to take a drink and rest, watching idly as Mori waded into the water and drank. Luckily the bird had kept up a stream of chatter to distract her from the long walk, but she was still exhausted. Walking across country hadn't been a part of the plan, but then again, neither had the place actually existing. Despite the words of her raven friend, she had been partially convinced that the brooding boat captain would drop her off somewhere near the border and that she would be forced to walk back and inform the king that he had been scammed. But the river matched the map, running and curving in all the right places. More than that, this place felt different, if such a thing made sense. The few trees she ran in to along the way felt…older, wiser even. The birds looked different. Even the grass seemed a different shade of green than she was use to, although it was just as edible as the stuff back home.

Although the scenery was beautiful, the knight began looking out for cities where she could, if push came to shove, steal a horse before nightfall. She honestly hoped that she could find a kind traveler or innkeeper willing to lend her the steed, but she very much doubted that would happen. She didn't even know what languages they spoke in this place, or if the common tongue of her country would be understood. She hoped so, since communicating with this 'Lord Elrond' seemed to be part of the deal.

* * *

It wasn't until the sun began to sink in the sky and she had nearly resigned herself to walking the whole way that she saw a city in the distance. A large crudely fenced in area holding about fifteen horses she could see (and she was sure there were others) was visible off to the side. Deciding that taking a risk on bartering with the locals was a bad idea, she slipped into the city as dusk was falling, keeping her head down and her hood up. Whispering a prayer of thanks to whatever god was listening, she looked around the city. Most of the buildings were stone, with what appeared to be thatch roofs. A large stone building a little ways down the road towered over the other buildings, and a little well sat in the middle of a courtyard in front. Wondering if it was their church, Anne turned back around and paid closer attention to the people.

Women and children, most in little more than rags, idled about, some holding discussions, others pulling their children along home. Men walked home from their jobs and new men came to guard the city and the horses. Following her nose, she was able to locate the stables, which were close to the entrance to the city, and walked inside. Long ago she had learned that acting as if you belonged somewhere was often the ticket inside. Bridles hung along the sidewall, and saddles sat on racks or on stall doors. Deciding quickly that she would never be able to smuggle a saddle out without drawing attention, she picked a plain bridle and strolled out to the pasture, her purposeful gaze keeping all that would question her at bay.

Slipping under the fence, she watched Mori scout out the horses, unnoticed by the aging guard. Thieving was an old skill that she had never quite lost, something she was grateful for now. "The grey one." Mori called from her perch on a fence post by her head, nodding to one of the horses. "He's young enough, and strong too. I asked if he would help and he said he would love to. He's itching to go on a good run." Thanking her friend quietly, Anne made her way over to the grey beast, first crouching in the grass as she nearly crawled forward, then using his body and neck to hide her from the obviously inattentive guards, and whispered in his ear as she eased the bridle over his head, and the bit into his mouth, careful not to hurt his ears as she bent them to fit under the head strap. "What's your name?" She wondered.

Mori translated her question, then perched on his shoulder. "His masters call him Silver. He says that'll have to do, since he doubts you can pronounce his horse name." Anne grinned with a nod and pulled herself onto his broad back. Her lack of armor made it easier to mount and adjust her weight, and would make her lighter to carry, but she was still worried. Whatever evils they had in Middle Earth, and she was sure they were around somewhere; she knew she would feel better facing them if she had some protection.

The horse leapt the fence easily after she nudged him forward, and she wondered at the easy way she had just stolen a horse…albeit a willing one. Had it been her own home, she would have been shot dead the instant she attempted to enter a fenced field after dark. But she wasn't about to complain. It would make the journey to the elfish city that much easier. Promising herself that she would return the horse at the end of her journey, she set off along the river once again.

* * *

The journey from then on out was easy…until she reached the forest of course. But, she rationed later, it would have been strange to make it all the way to Rivendell without any trouble.

It was nearly nightfall, five days later, when she caught sight of the forest, and she decided to camp by the road, asking her raven to keep watch as always. She fell asleep rather quickly, lying near Silver as he grazed, but was startled awake after a few hours by a sharp tug on her ear. Biting her lip at the sharp pain, she employed every bit of self-control she owned so as not to cry out, since she was sure that Mori had woken her for a good reason. Lo and behold, the sound of marching met her ears as she slipped out from under her traveling cloak and led the horse closer to the cover of the forest. Whatever these creatures were, there were about thirty of them, and she didn't care for those odds. The three hid amongst the trees and Anne hoped that these monsters, for as they came closer, she realized they were, in fact, some sort of horrible monster, would not see her. Dying before she met Lord Elrond was a most distasteful thought.

Just when she was starting to plan an escape, the sound of hooves met her ears, and a company in full armor came thundering through the forest, bows drawn, and arrows rained down on the deformed creatures, making quick work of the apparent intruders. Seeing her chance, Anne stepped out from the bushes and held up her hands, palms out, and hoped they wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later. The leader of the company was the first to spot her and leapt from his horse, striding over to her easily, bow drawn while the others watched warily.

"Who are you?" He asked sharply, his eyes raking over her tall, undernourished frame and meeting her bright green eyes with his blue ones.

"My apologies, my Lord. I am Lady Anne. Your Lord, Elrond, has requested my presence." She winced inwardly, hoping that it was true. Ron had never proven his claim to her. "I am to attend a council?" She made it a question, hoping they would know of what she spoke. The man dropped his bow arm and eased the arrow until it was lose and then placed it back into a quiver at his back. He then removed his helmet, revealing dark brown hair and a wizened, though somehow young, face.

"No, my apologies, my Lady. We did not receive word from your King, though we waited for many days. I had lost hope that anyone would come, and you were…unexpected." She didn't have an answer for that, as she was staring at his fair, though aged face (she was still pondering that one) and pointed ears in the moonlight, coming to the realization that this was no man at all. "I am Lord Elrond. Allow me to escort you into Rivendell, Lady Anne."

Shocked into speaking her mind, she stared at the elf as he climbed gracefully onto his horse, feeling like a great ogre trying to throw herself onto Silver's back, especially since she had no saddle. "Um…no my Lord. I mean…there's no need to call me…you need only call me Anne, my Lord." She finally stammered out, red in the face at both her sudden inability to articulate and the amused smiles on a few of the company's faces. Lord Elrond only gave her a soft smile and a short nod before urging his horse forward. Glancing at the other elves, she realized that she was to follow first, and nudged silver forward; Mori perched on her shoulder beneath her braid.

She could scarcely see the city, even with the moon shining down, so she didn't bother looking around, focusing instead on the elf in front of her and the path they followed towards what appeared to be a sort of palace. She dismounted when he did, once again feeling like a great beast next to the graceful elf, and smiled at another elf who came and led her horse away. Mori, always letting curiosity win over sleep, opted to follow Silver and maybe do a little exploring. Anne, on the other hand, followed Elrond (she didn't know if he was to be called a king, so she stuck with 'my Lord') into the beautiful building. Inside, torches were lit along the walls, which were covered with paintings and murals, and he led her to a giant room with a large, comfortable looking bed and windows overlooking what appeared to be a balcony and garden.

"Please make yourself comfortable." He told the young woman kindly. She started, staring at him with wide eyes. It was rare that she was able to get any kind of good sleep while traveling or following the commands of the king, and her hosts were seldom welcoming. "We shall all meet tomorrow after the midday meal, and you will be informed of the location beforehand. You have plenty of time to sleep, or explore, if you so choose."

Folding her hands, she bowed at the waist. "Thank you, my Lord." She said, honesty more grateful than she could say. Whatever she had been expecting of the elves of Rivendell, this was not it.

"Of course. I will see you in the morning." She could hear the smile in his voice, and felt his hand briefly rest on her shoulder.

'He's quite kind.' She thought as she straightened, staring at the shut door. After a few minutes, she pulled it open, half surprised that she wasn't locked in. She stepped into the hall for a moment. "So it wasn't a trap." She whispered into the stillness. "So what is it I am to do here?" Turning back to her room, she climbed into the bed and allowed herself to fall asleep in the strange place.

**Please review if you enjoyed (Or if you didn't…I'm open to constructive criticism.)**


	3. Rivendell

**Thank you so much to the person who followed. It really makes my day**

Rivendell

The sun began to rise on Rivendell early in the morning, about five hours after Anne's arrival. The other inhabitants, men and dwarves, and even four hobbits, lay in bed for a little while longer, oblivious to the sun's rays as they pressed uselessly against the hangings on the windows. One man and one elf, however, were roused from their slumber, as it was their habit to rise with the sun, and sought to find one another, for they were old friends and the man had been informed of the elf's arrival the day before, but had been too busy to search him out and greet him. Another man, with light brown hair, tall and sturdy; a man from Gondor, rose soon after.

However, the curtains in Anne's rooms had not been drawn, and so as soon as the light touched the side of her face, she woke with a jolt, cursing her own stupidity in forgetting to close her curtains and then remembering abruptly where she was. Looking around the room, she realized that it was even grander than she had first supposed, with two elegant chairs in the corner, between which was a shelf full of old looking books, a wash basin in another corner, and a door leading out to a balcony. Climbing out of bed, she closed the curtains and then she made her way over to a tall basin of water by the door where she washed her face and, grabbing a bottle from her pack, cleaner her teeth and then the rest of her as best she could, using the thick towels on the table beside the basin to dry off. Afterwards, she changed into her nicest shirt and hose, saving the dress for later when she would appear at a council of whose purpose she had not been informed. She stepped over to the windows, but lingered at the bookshelf. She loved books, and had a large collection at home, but as she ran her fingers over the spines, she realized that these were written in a language she had never seen before.

Pushing aside the curtain once more, she let the light into the room as she stepped out into the warm morning air. Breathing deeply, she felt at peace immediately, and closed her eyes in surprised happiness. The waterfalls could be heard roaring in the distance, and strange birds flew to and fro, reminding her to look for her own feathered friend later. Checking the pendant against her throat, tucked out of sight, she headed back into her room and opened the door leading to the hallway, deciding to take a walk, first taking a moment to run a brush through her long black hair and pull it into a braid, leaving the spiked strap out. Sure that nothing would attack her here, she left her weapons, save her fan, tucked into her belt, in the room. Careful to keep track of where she walked, she soon found herself in awe of the beautiful paintings of both elves and men that hung on the wall. Rarely was such artwork found in her own home, but very little art was hung on the walls of the palace where she lived, at least not in the corridors and rooms she visited. Straying a little farther she found a platform, covered in cloth, holding a broken sword. There was a little plaque on the cloth, and a statue of a man lay behind it, but attempting to read the plaque was fruitless, as it was written in the same language as the books.

Footsteps sounded behind her and she stiffened, turning her head to catch a glance at whoever was approaching. Two men…no, a man and a fair haired and young faced elf, were emerging from the corridor, deep in conversation in a strange tongue. The man chuckled softly at something the elf said, then replied in a hushed tone. Turning back to the sword, she pretended to be engrossed in it, running a careful finger over the broken blade, then cursing her own stupidity as the edge sliced her finger. Careful not to get blood on the beautiful furnishings, she stuck the finger to her lips to ease the sting.

"What are you doing?" A sharp, accusing voice came from the other direction, and she heard the conversation between the man and the elf come to an abrupt halt. Turning, she found the eyes of the pair, along with another man with golden brown hair and a severe frown, all on her. "That sword belongs to Gondor. Who are you?"

She saw the elf frown and step forward, and the black haired man began to speak, but her temper flared and she gave the man a cool glare, slipping the finger out of her mouth and absentmindedly hoping she didn't bleed on the floor in such a nice place. "If this sword belongs to Gondor, then why is it in Rivendell?…" He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "Actually, I don't really care. As to who I am, I am a guest of Lord Elrond, and in my land, it is the man who introduces himself to the lady." He seemed taken aback, and the pair in the doorway gave small smiles.

"I apologize for the manners of men." The elf stepped forward with a courteous smile, and, placing a hand on his heart, bowed to her. "I am Legolas of Mirkwood. This is Aragorn, a ranger and my friend, and that is Boromir of Gondor."

She smiled and copied the bow as best she could. "It's an honor to meet you, my Lords." She ignored Boromir, turning instead to the Aragorn and Legolas. "I am Anne, a Lady Knight sent by King Ronald, as requested by Lord Elrond, for a council meeting." Legolas's eyebrows lifted in surprise but it was Aragorn who spoke.

"Have you been informed about the purpose of this council?" He asked carefully.

"No, my Lord. I was sent here with almost no information, other than the fact that I was to stay with a Lord Elrond of Rivendell and attend a council about some…great evil." The man looked particularly grim, but nodded.

_"You_ are a knight?" Boromir wondered, and his incredulous voice irked her. Placing a thumb against a scar on her right palm, she looked up at him, noticing that he had joined the pair by the door, but had moved closer to her.

"I am, my Lord." Special emphasis was placed on 'my Lord' and she hoped he noticed the irritation.

"Forgive me, my Lady, but you seem a bit…young to be a knight." Aragorn spoke up, his tone hesitant. She smiled at him easily.

"That is hardly a statement you need beg my apology for, my Lord. I am not yet 21." They all seemed quite shocked at this, and she wondered at their ages, though she did not ask. "And please, call me Anne. There is no need for this 'my Lady' business. I'm common as dirt, my Lord, hardly worthy of a title." This time the smiles of the pair reached their eyes and they nodded.

"Of course. I am simply Aragorn then, and Prince Legolas will do nicely." The elf gave his companion a sharp look at the teasing, then turned to the distressed girl who was trying to stammer out an apology. He waved it away.

"Please, just Legolas. I am not accustomed to, nor comfortable with, such a formal address among friends." She nodded, still surprised, but relieved at his light tone, and turned to Boromir, who hadn't spoken again. He nodded shortly at her, then turned on his heels and left, obviously unhappy with the present company. She noticed him level a glare at Araorn, who returned it with an empty half smile, and she wondered what could have happened between the two men.

"Well, if you would excuse me, I think I shall search out breakfast." The pair chuckled and Legolas spoke up.

"That is where we were going. You are welcome to join us." Nodding gratefully, she joined the friends on their walk.

"Did you travel far to get here?" Aragorn wondered as they passed through another hallway, then through a large open room.

"Several days on horseback, in my own land, seven on a ship, with only a surly captain and…" She was cut off abruptly as a black blur flew by, circled over, then landed on her shoulder with an affectionate squawk. "Morrigan. Hello." She ran a finger over the bird's feathers, but got no response. Shrugging inwardly, and turned back to her companions. "Then another few days on the road to find Rivendell."

"Did you travel on horseback here?" Aragorn turned to her in surprise, apparently ignoring the presence of the raven.

"Yes…although I had to…find a horse after a day of walking."

"You mean steal?" Legolas had an eyebrow raised in apparent disapproval and she cringed. About to explain, her blunt raven leapt onto his shoulder and tugged his hair sharply, making him wince.

"He was perfectly willing to come, elf. And my Annie girl knows how to treat a horse." The raven snapped, obviously offended. Legolas gave her a careful look, bring up a slow hand to dislodge his hair from the bird's beak.

"Were you aware that this bird…could speak?"

She grinned. "Yea, she'll go on when she feels like it. Now try getting her to shut up. That's the trick." Aragorn snorted and hesitantly stroked the bird on his friend's shoulder.

"How did you come across such a raven?"

"Come across…well I've never! She didn't come across me, you simpleton! I came and found her, and then I chose her. She's special, my Annie girl, even if her aunt…"

"Mori!" Anne made her voice sharp, a sharp flush of humiliation coloring her cheeks. The bird fell silent and she sighed. "They certainly don't want to hear about my aunt, nor how 'special' I am." She continued walking, but not before she caught the elf giving her a long considering look.

Breakfast was a quiet enough affair, but Anne certainly didn't mind, not with the spread of fruits she'd never seen, breads lighter and sweeter than anything she'd ever tasted, and even an oatmeal type dish that made her want do sit around and eat all day. "Forget about this secretive meeting." She told her two companions. "I'm just going to stay in Rivendell forever and eat this food!" Legolas laughed and passed anther piece of fruit her way, while Aragorn fed pieces of the bread and meat to Mori who had taken a liking to his hair.

After she had just about finished, four small figures came into the room. "Hello Frodo. Sam. Merry. Pippin. Take a seat." The group smiled nervously at Aragorn, throwing concerned glances at Legolas and Anne. "This is Legolas of Mirkwook, and Anne, a Lady Knight." She nodded her head courteously as Aragorn introduced them, and the four relaxed a little, two taking seats by Anne and two sitting over by Aragorn. They watched Legolas with a type of fascination and awe that made Anne give him a questioning look. He tried to put them at ease, asking if they were comfortable and passing food over to the four, but none would easily converse with him. Finally, they switched their attention over to Anne, and one (she didn't know their respective names yet) spoke up.

"So…you're a…knight? My Lady." He was quick to add. She grinned and put her glass of whatever wonderful liquid the elf had passed her on the table.

"I am. Lady Anne, though I'd prefer Anne."

"I didn't know women could be knights…" She chuckled when the first who had spoken nudged the other sharply.

"Pippin!" He snapped.

"Ow! Merry!" The other two hobbits gave them exasperated looks and one, the thinner of the two, shot her an apologetic smile. She returned it easily.

"I do not know the customs here, Master Pippin." He blushed a bit at the title, much to her amusement. "But where I am from, women are free to try for their shield…though it is much harder for us than for the boys who try." This caught Aragorn's attention.

"How old do you have to be to train?"

"Eleven. Unless you're a noble's child. Then you can get tutoring from 3 or 4. But I started when I was 11 and earned my shield at seventeen. Are there knights here?"

"It depends on the realm." Legolas answered. "All have armies, and the king may have a special company. But not all have designated knights who are trained to fight from such an early age. Did you have to leave your family?" He wondered.

"Yes. I left before my eleventh birthday, and arrived at the palace on the day."

"Ah. Do you ever visit?" Aragorn asked casually. She stiffened a bit, but hid it quickly.

"Never. I grew up with my aunt and she…died. Soon after I arrived at the palace." Neither said a word, their eyes telling her that they had seen through that particular blatant lie. Luckily they didn't call her out on it. She had no desire to discuss her family with these people, no matter how friendly they may be. Mori chose this moment to leap from Aragorn's shoulder and visit the hobbits, making them laugh and pulling at their hair. She sighed in relief and took another drink, wondering how long until this 'midday meal' and the council she was to attend.

**Thank you for reading. I really love writing it, so I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. The Council of Elrond

***Obviously I do not own LOTR. But I do quote it sometimes. In this chapter, I quoted it a lot. Please do not sue me as I own nothing. ***

The Council of Elrond

Anne stood in the middle of the room, turning this way and that to catch a glimpse of herself in the nearly transparent green dress. It had been a gift from a lady of the court, and the only nice dress she owned, mostly because she hated them. The neckline was too deep, the sleeves barely there, and it only reached her mid calves in the front. She was hardly a modest girl, as she had spent years on the road with men, but this felt worse than changing tunics in the open. And, as she stared at her feet, she realized that boots were the only shoes she had bothered to bring. Shaking her head at her own forgetfulness, she took the belt that went with the dress and tucked the fan into it, then began doing her hair in the only nice style she knew of, a braid coiled at the back of her head.

She had left her companions as they headed for the midday meal, claiming that she wasn't hungry and promising to see them at the council, but honestly she wanted time to collect herself. This was the reason she had come, but she still had no idea what was expected of her. A soft knock on the door interrupted her musings, and she opened it a crack. The most beautiful woman…no, she corrected herself sharply, elf, she had ever seen in her life smiled at her from the hall. "Um…hello, my Lady." She sad softly, opening the door and stepping back.

"Hello Anne. I am Arwen. My father sent me to see if you needed anything before the council meeting." Arwen's eyes lingered on her bare feet for only a second, then came back to meet her eyes.

"I…I seem to have forgotten my shoes." Anne felt her face heat up and thanked the goddess Ren was always going on about that Arwen didn't laugh, only smiled softly.

"I am sure I have a pair you can use." She reassured the girl. "Is there anything else?"

"Can…can you tell me what this meeting is about?" Arwen paused, looking into her eyes and sighing softly.

"I am afraid that I cannot. I will return shortly." She nodded to the girl and disappeared down the hallway. Anne leaned against the doorframe with a huff.

'Does anyone know what this meeting is about?' She wondered irritably.

* * *

The lady, who had revealed herself to be the daughter of Elrond, much to Anne's surprise and dismay ('I can't believe I asked the lady of the house to fetch me shoes!') showed her the way to the location for the meeting, which turned out to be a large balcony overlooking the city, nestled among waterfalls. Stone chairs were set up in a circle around what looked to be a stone pedestal, and were filled with elves, who she was finally starting to recognize on sight, a few men, short, bearded men that she suspected might be dwarves, a tall robed man with a pointed hat (she guessed he was a wizard, but didn't look like any of the wizards from her home) and the hobbit she recognized as Frodo. Thanking lady Arwen for her help, she stepped onto the balcony and looked for a chair, Mori sitting primly on her shoulder. She found Legolas sitting among some other elves and smiled hesitantly at him. He caught her eye and smiled reassuringly, then motioned toward a chair beside Aragorn. She nodded in thanks and joined the dark haired man who greeted her with a nod.

Glancing over at Frodo, she gave him a smile, which he returned with a preoccupied nod, and she then found herself being watched by the tall man in gray robes beside him. Hesitantly, she smiled, but he only watched her closely. Then, turning back towards the men and elves, she realized that most of those present were also watching her, their eyes revealing a mixture of confusion, surprise, and even irritation. She realized she must look a sight, a young woman in a dress among men (well...males), a raven on her shoulder. "Is she an elf?" She heard one dwarf whisper to the dwarf on his right, and blushed softly, feeling all eyes on her.

"No…doesn't have the ears."

"What does she think she's doing here?" Another dwarf whispered.

"Obviously she was invited by Lord Elrond." The sharp voice belonged to an elf sitting closest to the dwarves, and she clenched her hands in her lap and stared at them, feeling more and more conspicuous by the second, and too embarrassed to thank whoever had stood up for her. Taking her mind off the others, she turned toward Lord Elrond. He looked even more regal in the light of day, but today his eyes were grim. She glanced over at Aragorn who seemed ill at ease as well.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old…" Anne looked up as everyone was suddenly silent. "You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." She glanced over at Aragorn in confusion, but he was staring at Lord Elrond, as was everyone. Forcing herself to be patient, she sat back and listened. "Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." She grimaced.

'What kind of council is this? Are they going to war?'

"Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo." She watched in surprise as the hobbit from breakfast stood and walked hesitantly to the center pedestal, then carefully placed a little gold ring in the center, then walked back to his seat in obvious relief. Staring incredulously at the innocent looking gold ring for a moment, she then glanced around in obvious disbelief.

'Is this a joke? Are these people insane? It's a gold ring…like a wedding band. My aunt had one that looked just like it.' But everyone looked frightened, even sick, when they looked at this seemingly harmless piece of jewelry.

"So it is true…" Boromir whispered. She turned to him, hoping maybe he would speak up and explain what everyone seemed to be thinking. He stood slowly, taking a deep breath. "It is a gift. A gift from the foes of Mordor! Why not use this ring!? Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your land kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!" For a moment, Anne wanted to nod. Weapons from the enemy were often put to good use. But by the look on the faces of the elves, and of Aragorn, she felt it safe to assume that this was different.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can!" Aragorn's clear voice sounded in the quiet. "The one ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Boromir turned to Aragorn with a nasty look.

Legolas shot up, irritation obvious in his clear blue eyes. "This is no mere ranger. This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Anne stared at Legolas, suddenly able to clearly see that this was a prince, then gave Aragorn a bewildered look but all the focus was on Boromir, Aragorn, and Legolas's conversation.

"This…is Isildur's heir?" Boromir asked breathlessly. Aragorn gave a short nod.

"An heir to the throne of Gondor." Anne turned to Aragorn in shock.

'He's…the heir to a throne. I've been talking to a prince and a king all morning…and treating them as common as I am.' Shame washed over her for a moment. Mori tugged her braid, and then spoke so only she could hear.

"I knew as soon as I met him." Unable to refute that claim, or question the bird in the midst of all these people, she bit her tongue and continued to listen as Aragorn put up a hand and said something to Legolas, who started at him for a moment, then sat down reluctantly.

Boromir recovered quickly and leveled a glare first at Legolas who only liften an eyebrow, and then at Aragorn. "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." He spoke quietly as he sat, staring directly at Aragorn.

"Aragorn is right." The wizard spoke up. "We cannot use it."

Lord Elrond leaned forward. "You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed." Anne lifted an eye, wondering how it could have taken so long to come to that conclusion, but once again, kept quiet, fingering the scar on her palm. Keeping quiet had been one of the hardest lessons, but her aunt had been sure that she learned it quickly. Still, everyone else seemed rather put off by Lord Elrond's statement, and there was a great deal of anxiety among the group. That is, until one dwarf with long red hair and a long matching beard, stood up with his axe.

"What are we waiting for?" He growled, stepping forward. Seeing the alarmed look on Lord Elrond's face, Anne half stood to stop him, feeling that there was no way it would be this simple, but Aragorn caught her arm, and he was already raising his axe over his head, the blade coming down on the ring, and then shattering. The dwarf was thrown back, and Anne fell back in her seat in surprise, feeling Aragorn release her arm.

'No piece of gold should be able to withstand that without even a scratch, but the ring sat just the same in the middle on the pedestal. A whispering, terrible voice reached her ears, and Mori screeched in displeasure. "This is sorcery." She whispered, scooting back in her chair, as if to get away from the evil ring. Aragorn nodded, and started to speak, but Lord Elrond was speaking once again.

"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it been unmade." Anne's eyes widened.

'That doesn't sound good...I certainly don't want to go to a place called 'Mount Doom...isn't that in Mordor?' She tried to recall the map that sat in her room.

"It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." That statement was met with dead silence.

'That…is a long walk…even on a horse.' Anne looked around. No one else seemed taken with the idea either.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor." Boromir whispered, lifting his head from his hand. Everyone turned to him, most with looks of wariness. Its black gates are guarded with more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great eye is ever watchful."

Annie felt herself go pale. 'The great eye?'

"It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10,000 men could you do this. It is folly."

Once again, Legolas jumped from his seat. "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!" He cried.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" The dwarf Gimli cried. Anne looked over in shock as Legolas gave him an irritated frown.

'Does the dwarf know who he's talking to?'

"And if we fail? What then?" Boromir stood as well. "What happens when Saruon takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" At Gimli's pronouncement, the entire group of elves jumped to their feet, followed by the dwarves, and she could make out none of the conversation, but saw Legolas stick out an arm to keep one of his companions back as he shouted at the dwarves. "No one trust an elf!" Anne turned to Aragorn incredulously, but just sighed and sat back, watching at the noise level rose. Soon, the wizard stood and began speaking in sharp tones to Boromir who glared and snapped back at him.

She took a step closer to the dwarves and elves, wondering if she could help restore some kind of peace, but very much doubting it. "Honestly!" She cried amidst the shouting. She stood by one of the elves and faced the dwarves. "What are you getting accomplished by shouting at one another?"

The dwarf Gimli looked up at her and clenched his fists. "And who do you think you are? It has yet to be seen why you are even here!"

"I was invited!" She snapped. "I'm a knight."

"Ha! A little girl becoming a knight!" Another dwarf laughed nastily, and almost against her will her hand went down to grasp her fan, unfurling it in a swift motion and towering over the dwarf in irritation.

"I beg your pardon?" She snarled, blood boiling.

"A fan! You're going to threaten me with a fan!? What do you think you're going to do with that?" He brandished his large axe, and she knew she had no choice of beating that. Still, her pride would not let her step down from such an obvious challenge, and she stepped forward menacingly.

Tilting the fan so that the light bounced off the razor edge, she lifted her arm. "I'll show you what I'll do with it, you nasty little…" She was cut off by a hand grasping her arm, and realized that the elves were stepping between them, still shouting at the dwarves, but keeping her from attacking the dwarf, and the dwarf from slicing her in half with his axe. Rolling her eyes, she snapped the fan shut and placed it in her belt, pulling away from the restraining arm. Leaving the circle of shouting dwarves and elves, and avoiding one of Boromir's more boisterous hand gestures as he fought with the wizard, she stopped beside the ring to look at it up close, keeping her hands at her sides, and then turned to Lord Elrond, who was watching the fiasco with a sigh.

He met her eyes for a moment, and she saw great weariness there. Standing, she started to make her way over to where he sat, about to tell him that she had no place among these people, but she noticed Frodo standing at the edge of the group.

"I will take it!" He cried. She stared at him in surprise, though only she and Lord Elrond heard him. She placed a hand against her mouth.

'He can't…he's…so small. And….honestly among all these warriors, he's the only one brave enough?'

"I will take it! I will take the ring to Mordor." Slowly, everyone stopped shouting and turned to the hobbit. "Though…I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Anne felt a sharp tug at her braid, and knew that a bit of it was coming loose thanks to her raven friend.

Aragorn stood and walked over to Frodo. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He knelt in front of the hobbit solemnly. "You have my sword."

"They'll need help Anne girl." Mori stated softly, tugging her hair again.

"And you have my bow." Legolas stated, stepping forward and standing beside the wizard.

"See, your friend is going." Anne sighed.

"And my axe." Legolas gave a pained look when the dwarf stepped forward to stand beside him, and Anne nearly laughed.

"Oh very well." She whispered before the bird could prompt her again.

"You carry the fate of us all little one." Boromir stepped forward and she almost changed her mind. "If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Anne stepped forward, eyes only on Frodo, for she knew that if she, a common girl who had scrambled her way into knighthood, looked into the eyes of these great men and warriors, she would never have the courage to speak up. "I did not come all this way to sit idly by. You are the bravest creature I've ever met, Frodo Baggins." She said simply, smiling at him. Kneeling before the hobbit, she looked into his eyes seriously. "If it is protection you need, you certainly have mine, if you would like it." The hobbit hesitated not a second before smiling gratefully and nodding. She stood and took her place beside the dwarf, hands crossed in front of her, as she realized what she had just done.

"Hey!" She jumped at the noise from the bushes. "Mister Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!" The larger of the hobbits cried as he jumped between Aragorn and Legolas, and under Aragorn's arm, to stand by Frodo.

Lord Elrond looked amused rather than put off. "No indeed it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret meeting and you are not." Anne grinned into her hand as Frodo stepped over to make room for his friend.

"Oi! We're coming too!" Merry emerged from the doorway and, followed by Pippin, ran over to where Frodo stood. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" The wizard looked rather resigned to a terrible fate, and shook his head at Lord Elrond.

"Anyway!" Pippin cried. "You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest….thing."

"Well that rules you out, Pip." Anne covered her laughter with a hand, but was nearly undone when she saw Aragorn and Legolas doing the same.

Lord Elrond considered them for a moment, his eyes resting briefly on Anne. "Ten companions….So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Right…" Pippin spoke up. "So where are we going?"

**Thank you so much for the review! I truly hope that you are enjoying this story. **


	5. Formal Introductions

Formal Introductions

Anne stood in her room, staring out the balcony window idly. 'What have I just agreed to do?' She had ripped the dress off as soon as she reached her room, changing into her tunic and hose, and had placed the shoes by the door. "Mori!" She cried, as she was wont to do when she needed advice. "What did I just do!?" The bird perched on her shoulder and made the purring noise that always calmed her down, then nipped at her hair.

"You know what you did, Anne girl." The bird told her simply. "You did what was right. He needs as much protection as he can get."

"But I'm sure they don't want…"

"Who!" The bird snapped, nipping her ear harder than necessary. "I thought you were doing this to protect the hobbit." She bit her lip, and then sighed.

"You're right…as always." She crossed her arms and stared at the waterfall outside, as if it would tell her the answers to her problems.

"And you're a knight Anne. Make sure they know it." Anne swiped at her eye, forcing the fear and homesickness back. It wasn't just the prospect of a cross country quest with people who didn't want her around that bothered her. The thought of being away from her home for so long…without any guarantee of returning…that was the really scary part. 'I want to be a great knight…the greatest in the realm. I want to protect people.' She told herself harshly. 'That's enough moping around.'

She turned to Mori. "Oh, they'll know it." She grinned at the bird and kissed her on the head. "You're the best friend I could ask for, Mori." She whispered. "I'm glad you're with me."

* * *

There was a dinner that night, held by Lord Elrond, especially for the members of the Fellowship. Anne had no plans to attend, that is, until Mori pecked her neck and bit her ear and pulled her hair, and Anne promised to throw her out the window a few times, that she finally consented to go. Grumbling about interfering birds and royal banquets, she pulled her hair down and into a normal braid that fell down her back. In anticipation of meeting the annoying dwarf again, which was pretty much a guarantee, she tucked her dagger into her belt, and another into her boot. The fan remained in her belt, and the spiked strap was woven into her braid. He would learn not to threaten her. And hopefully Boromir would be placated to see that she had the weapons of a real warrior.

Mori flew over to her shoulder, and Anne opened the door, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the hall. Assuming that it would be in the same place as breakfast, she followed the corridors and hallways that she had walked with Legolas (A prince) and Aragorn (the heir to a throne…she was still cringing over that one) and came to the large dining hall. The room was full, and there was a large table in the middle where the hobbits, along with Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli, and the wizard whose name she had not yet learned, were all eating and having conversation. She could also hear singing and shouting. The kinsmen of the fellowship stopped by every once in a while, bidding them farewell, Anne assumed, or wishing them luck.

Losing her courage immediately, she began to take a step back when one of the hobbits caught sight of her. Pippin half stood in his seat and called out to her. "My Lady!" He cried. "Come join us! There's plenty of food!" Unable to hold back a rueful grin, she strolled over, taking a seat at the end of the table beside Pippin and across from Gimli, feeling the eyes of the whole table on her. "We haven't properly met!" He cried, and Anne caught a whiff of his breath, realizing immediately that he had been drinking.

Aragorn passed her a plate full of samples of all of the food, and she managed to thank him before Pippin had thrown his arm around her back (the highest point he could reach) and was pointing out people. "I'm Pippin of course. And this is my cousin, Merry." Merry, obviously not as drunk as his friend, grinned at her apologetically. "And that's Frodo, and Sam, his gardener." She greeted them with a smile. "And this is Gimli. He's a dwarf!"

Remembering vividly how rude he had been to her, she frowned a bit. "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Gimli." She said, her voice frosty. She caught him wince a little at the chill, but he nodded.

"My Lady."

"And this is Boromir."

"Hello again, my Lady." He reached out a hand to take hers, and she gave it, assuming that he would shake it, but blushing a bit when he kissed it.

She lifted a surprised eyebrow. He was obviously making an effort at courtesy, so she would do the same. "Hello my Lord."

"That's Strider…or Aragorn. He's the one that helped us get here." Aragorn she greeted with a true smile and nod, which he returned.

"And that's Legolas. He's an Elfish prince!" Anne cringed. As if she could forget. Still, she smiled at the elf that was smirking at her discomfort.

"Hello Legolas."

"And, finally, Gandalf. He's a great wizard."

'So my guess was correct.' "It's an honor, Master Gandalf."

"Now aren't you going to introduce yourself?" She smirked and slipped out from his arm.

"But you were doing so well, Master Pippin." He blushed a bit, and turned to Merry.

"I think she fancies me." He whispered so that everyone at the table could hear. Merry put a hand on his face and sighed while Anne did her best not to blush.

"Very well. It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Anne Woods."

"Woods? Is that your father's name?" Boromir wanted to know.

"I haven't the slightest idea. I never met him. I was born in the woods, and my mother lived there until she died, leaving me with my aunt. So my aunt may have just come up with it."

"So you're common." Gimli stated.

"As dirt. And probably illegitimate too, Master dwarf. Any more personal questions?" There was an awkward silence, and she regretted letting her temper run away with her. Taking a long drink from her cup, she nearly spit it out when it contained the same spirits as Pippin had obviously been drowning in. Wincing as she swallowed, she coughed at the strong taste, and managed a 'thank you' when someone pressed a glass into her hand. Taking a drink of what thankfully turned out to be water, she coughed a few more times then sat it down, face flushed.

"Do you not care for strong drink, my lady?" Boromir wondered. Placing a finger against the scar on her palm, a reminder to keep her temper under control, she forced a smile and courteous tone.

"You really can call me Anne. And not at all, my Lord." He and Gimli had not given her permission to use their names informally, but she wondered if the entire trip would be full of 'my Lords.' "My aunt was quite fond of the drink, but I cannot abide it."

"Hm." Boromir took a long drink from his own cup, and Anne decided to focus on her food rather than the annoying man who somehow managed to offend her when he wasn't even speaking.

The hobbits began talking amongst themselves, and Anne listened to Mori chatter, until Gandalf suddenly sat down his cutlery and turned to Anne.

"Where are you from?" He asked, and dead silence fell. Chewing her food, and then swallowing quickly, she took a sip of water and turned to him.

"Somewhere quite far away. Lord Elrond sent word to my King that there was to be a council meeting and he asked me to come."

"By yourself?" Gandalf lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm a knight. We're often sent on quests by ourselves." She told him simply, her thumb rubbing against the scar on her hand once more, missing the eyes of the elf as they followed the action of her hands. Mori chose that moment to leap from her shoulder and fly over to Gandalf, who suddenly stared at the bird in shock. "My apologies. That is Morrigan. She's my friend." 'My friend who often has conversations with people that I can't hear.' She grumbled internally. "So when do we set off?"

"At daybreak." Aragorn answered, then turned to the rest of the table. "Everyone, you should only pack what you can carry. We will have a pony, but with ten of us, we cannot overload him. Gandalf will be leading us." Gandalf nodded to the raven who then flew over to Legolas and tugged at his hair gently, then began to eat his food.

"Honestly, you bloody bird. I'm going to make you into pie if you don't leave his food alone." She cried, exasperated and embarrassed. "Would you show off your manners for once." Legolas grinned, feeding the bird a piece of meat.

"I don't mind. I was finished anyway." Soon everyone was charmed by her little pest, and were feeding her bits of food from their own plates. But it was Legolas with whom she spent most of her time with that night. Anne was not sure if Morri was talking to him, but by the way he kept glancing at her and nodding seriously, she was assuming the answer was yes. Fed up with mysteries for the day, she turned back to picking at her food, leaving everyone else to their conversations, even her mysterious bird.

She hated eating before setting off on a journey. The food, no matter how well cooked, tended to taste like dirt, and sat like a lump of mud in her stomach. She nibbled at the bread and listened to the talk. Aragorn and Boromir were mumbling about something entirely uninteresting, and Gimli was talking to Gandalf about a place called Moria. Thinking back, she tried to place the name, when it came to her. The mine. But Gimli wanted to go through there was a mystery to her. She wasn't fond of going underground. Merry and Pippin were having an increasingly incoherent conversation, but Frodo sat staring into his empty plate.

"Are you alright, Frodo?" She asked quietly. He glanced up at her with a forced smile.

"Fine." He answered simply, but there was gratitude in his eyes, as if he had wondered if anyone would notice his discontent.

"Excited about such a great adventure?" She teased. He grinned.

"Hardly. It will be quite a long trip, and honestly I think I'd rather go home."

She smirked. "And I as well. I'll miss my home."

"What is it like? This faraway place where you live?"

"Oh…it's beautiful. Well…. some of it. I live at the palace."

"Really? I didn't think you were royalty…didn't you say you were common born?"

"Oh yes. I was born a commoner. But when I began to train for my shield, I moved into the palace with the other pages. My friend Ron and I trained together…well he was two years ahead of me. But it was hard to find friends there at first. Still, I did eventually start to fit in there, and now I wouldn't trade it for anything. Most knights have quarters at the palace, and I use mine year round."

"Really? I was brought up by my uncle, and lived near him when he lived in the Shire. Do you never miss your family?"

"My mother died so long ago I don't remember her, and I never met my father. I grew up with my aunt…but I never visit her." She felt Legolas and Aragorn staring at her, then remembered that she had told them that the woman was dead. She swore under her breath as she took a drink of water, wondering why the hobbits hadn't remembered that her aunt was supposed to be dead. 'Maybe they weren't listening this morning.'

"Do you never get time off to go visit?"

"Hm? Oh, it's not that." She told Sam, who had entered the conversation. "We just never really got on." The scar on her palm felt raw from so much rubbing, so she forced one of her hands away to clench her tunic in her lap, and the other to take another drink from the glass of water. (The one with the spirits had long since been polished off by Pippin.)

"Do you have any siblings?" Sam asked.

"Not anymore." She shrugged. "I had a brother, when I was really little. But he died only a few years after our mother. It's pretty much just me now." She was surprised to see the hobbits look quite sad.

"That's awful." Merry said softly, apparently sober enough to listen in. The others were watching now as well, thoughtful looks on their faces.

She forced a light laugh. "Goodness everyone. No need to feel sorry for me. I've tons of friends at the palace, and you can't exactly miss what you don't remember. What about you?" She turned to Frodo, the only one who wasn't watching her with pity. "Do you have any other family?"

"My parents died when I was young, and I was brought up by my Uncle, Bilbo. He's here, in Rivendell."

"Ah. Did you come with you?"

"No…he came here first. We came with Aragorn." She nodded at the reminder, then started to ask about his own family.

"Well." Aragorn spoke up before she could. "We should probably all get to bed. We have an early start tomorrow, and a long day ahead of us." Anne nodded and, excusing herself from the table first, left.

"What about your bird?" Sam called, for Morri was still cleaning Legolas's plate. Anne grinned.

"She knows the way to my room." She called over her shoulder, leaving the boisterous room for the solitude of her room. Whatever that raven was getting up to, Anne wasn't sure she even wanted to know.

* * *

That evening after the dinner, one of the elves came by her room and asked if she needed anything. She asked wehre the baths were, and the she-elf directed her down the hall to the women's baths. Bringing along a change of clothes, she entered the warm room full of large baths, and sliped into the hot water. After washing, she relaxed in the beautiful room with a view of the lights of Rivendell for a while, knowing that this would be the last time she would have any luxury in her life for a long while. This is where Morri found her an hour later.

"What were you talking to Gandalf about?" She wondered, stroking the feathers of her friend. If birds could smirk, this one did. "Fine. What about Legolas?" Once again the bird was silent. "Is this going to effect me in any way?" The bird chucked, a strange, cawing sound. "Oh forget it. I'll worry tomorrow. I'm off to bed. We have an early day tomorrow." Climbing out of the bath, she dried off and changed into her night clothes, then made her way back to her rooms through the, thankfully empty, hall.

**Thank you so much to everyone who reads. I really appreciate it. It would be wonderful if you could give feedback, but if not, I still appreciate you reading. Have a great day.**


	6. The Start of A Journey

The Start of a Journey

Anne was brought back to consciousness rudely by a peck on the face. Swatting the bird away, she sat up and threw the covers off, ignoring the squawk of protest from the bird as she scrambled to escape from the avalanche of blankets and pillows. "Well aren't we cheerful this morning." The bird snapped irritably.

"The suns not even up!" She snapped, shoving the rest of the blankets off of her and standing with a groan. Stretching and yawning, she made her way over to the basin of water and threw it on her face, shuddering as it dripped down her shirt. "I hate mornings." She snarled. Of course, Mori was well aware of this, and had been since their first morning together when sixteen year old Anne, after an overly exuberant morning greeting, had thrown her out the window and promptly locked it. The girl had half heartedly (you can certainly fly, you bloody bird) apologized, but Mori was typically careful after that, especially on mornings when Anne had a quest to go on, or a task to accomplish. Nerves did not mix well with tiredness. Still, the bird could understand the girl's temper, considering her upbringing, though Mori never brought it up.

After washing her face and cleaning her teeth, Anne dressed in her regular tunic and hose, throwing two changes of clothes, the cotton pads, and her two water flasks into a small pack she could easily wear on her back. For the first time since arriving at Rivendell, she placed her sword on her belt, along with her dagger, then placed her cloak over her back. The blades went in her boot once again, and the spiked strap, a favorite among the Lady Knights who liked to wear their hair normally, was woven seamlessly into her hair. A change of underclothes also went into the bag, and an extra dagger. She wished for her bow, or even her glaive, but those would be cumbersome to carry along with a sword and pack, and she didn't have the luxury of a horse…and speaking of horses….

Hurrying along the path to the stables, she arrived as quickly as her legs would carry her, hoping she hadn't offended any of the elves she had nearly run over. One of the elves who had taken the horses the day before stood in the aisle way, his hand on a horse's neck, and turned. "Can I help you?" He asked softly, in that melodic voice all elves seemed to posses.

"Yes, my Lord. The horse, Silver, who I arrived on…he doesn't belong to me. There's a little town…if you just follow the river to the shore. It's the last one you'll come to. He belongs to them, my Lord. Is there any way he can be returned?" The elf was looking at her strangely.

"You do realize that stealing a horse is a serious offense…"

"Yes my Lord. And I would have never done it if it hadn't been necessary…but he was willing to come…oh blast it I haven't got much time." She cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Please…I'll compensate them or whatever they ask….and you too….only I need to be sure he gets home. I can't take him now."

"Why not just return him when you get back from your journey, my Lady?"

A deep unease unfurled in her stomach and she swallowed a sour taste in the back of her throat. "I'm going on quite a long trip, my Lord. And there's no guarantee I'll return." Even as she said that, goosebumps rose on her arms, as if someone had just walked across her grave. "I'm so sorry to ask this of you. But please…make sure he's returned home." The elf gave her a grave look.

"Of course, my Lady."

"My name's Anne." She said as she turned to leave. 'And I don't know what I think I'm doing. Dear goddess Ron's always on about, I hope you have a hand in all this…and that I come out no worse for wear.'

* * *

The rest of the fellowship was assembling near the city gates. She arrived at the same time as Merry and Pippin who, along with Sam, were carrying large packs, although none were as large as Sam's. A shaggy brown pony was loaded with bags, and she assumed they belonged to Frodo, Gimli, or Legolas, for they didn't seem to carry anything but their weapons. Anne adjusted the weight on her back, knowing that she could carry this light pack comfortably for hours, especially without her usual armor. This didn't help ease her mind very much, but she knew that going the whole way to Mordor on foot while wearing such heavy armor would be worse than having none; she'd certainly never make it. For a minute, she stared longingly at Legolas's bow. It was a longbow, expertly carved, and she wondered if he would let her try it out sometime.

The others either nodded in greeting (the hobbits, along with Aragorn and Legolas) or ignored her, obviously tired as well, which was fine by her. She didn't like coffee and she didn't fully wake up until around 9 am, so she had a while before she was fit to be social. Mori landed silently on her shoulder as Gandalf spoke quietly to the hobbits. "Go ride the pony, you bloody bird." She muttered irritably. Turning her head skyward in exasperation at her inconsiderate and abusive friend, the bird did so.

"His name's Bill." Anne glanced up to find Sam starting at her. "The pony." He clarified. "He's ours." Lifting an eyebrow, she nodded.

"Noted. Mori, ride Bill." She tightened her belt a bit, glad she hadn't attempted breakfast, then leaned against the pony, waiting for her nerves to settle.

The only one of them that seemed fully awake and in high spirits was Legolas. As she leaned against the pony, he went over and greeted her with a cheerful good morning and asked how she slept, all whilst she hoped this wasn't a habit of his. "Good morning. Fine." She mumbled, leaning against the pony and closing her eyes. He laughed brightly, and then moved on to speak to Aragorn. 'Ugh. A morning person.' She thought irritably.

* * *

They finally set off after about a half hour, with Gandalf leading the way, Legolas close behind, then Gimli, Boromir, the hobbits who traveled in pairs or in a big lump, then Anne, and Aragorn brought up the rear. Glad to be moving, Anne let the morning air rouse her, and the sun woke her up better than cold water on her face. It was relatively warm outside, and the cloak she wore over her back began getting too warm. Finally she removed the pendant at her throat and removed the heavy cloth as she walked, rolling it up and shoving it in her pack. The sun beat down on the group as they walked, and around midday the hobbits began to lag. Anne began to overtake them, and walked beside Frodo for a while. Merry and Pippin kept up a stream of chatter that was less annoying now that they were sober and she was wide awake.

"And I told him to stick it in the ground!" Merry cried, coming to the end of a long line of anecdotes.

"I did stick it in the ground!" Pippin cried in exasperation. Anne giggled.

"Outside!"

"So you blew up a house!?" She cried incredulously?

"Not a house…just a tent…"

"And the rest of the fireworks."

"And they nearly killed everyone at the party." Frodo piped up, chuckling. "It was a flaming dragon." Anne laughed.

"A dragon? How did you get fireworks shaped like a flaming dragon?!"

"Gandalf makes the best fireworks of anyone!" Sam said with a grin.

"It's true." Aragorn caught up with them, glancing down at Frodo and then meeting her eyes. "Gandalf is famous throughout Middle Earth for his fireworks."

"Among other things I would hope." He chuckled.

"Quite a few other things actually. He's one of the greatest wizards alive."

"I've known quite a few wizards, but none quite like him."

"Really? What are the wizards from your realm like?"

"Well, they're mostly quite young…. the best anyway. Some my age. The oldest I know is only in his 80's and…I think that Gandalf is quite a bit older."

Aragorn snorted. "Most here are. Gandalf is the oldest of us all, and Legolas is over 500 years old." Anne stilled, staring at Aragorn.

"Over….over 500…._years!" _She cried. Legolas glanced back and snorted. "He…how…."

Aragorn grinned. "Elves do not age like us mortals do." He answered simply.

"Mortals…you mean elves are immortal?"

"Basically yes."

"He…I must seem like an infant to him!" She cried. Legolas chuckled up ahead of her.

"Indeed. You are all children to me, except Gandalf, and he's nearly immortal himself."

"Wizards are immortal here?"

"They are not where you come from?" Gandalf wondered.

"No…just normal humans with the Gift…no…I mean….not that you aren't…normal?" She trailed off with a shake of her head at the smiles on Legolas and Gandalf's faces. "Anyway, we have immortals where I live, only I'm almost certain we don't have elves. But we have centaurs, spidrens, griffins, stormwings…even dragons."

The group was giving her strange looks as they came to a stop. Gandalf led them to a rocky area where they would rest for a few minutes, and for Anne, it wasn't a minute too soon. "Centaurs…you mean half man and half horse?" Boromir asked as they were all sitting down in a circle. Sam began to make a small fire where she assumed that he would cook whatever food he had brought.

"Hm?" She looked up from where Sam was cooking. "Yes. Mean too, most of them, though they keep to their herds for the most part. But they're hard to fight. Never forget about the back legs. They can break a man's back. Broke some of my ribs once. A lot of the immortals are friendly, or don't bother humans at all. Stormwings only go after the dead, though some take objection to that. But I think spidrens are the worst."

"Spidrens?" Gimli plopped down across from her, and Legolas sat on the rock next to her, having first looked around to make sure they were in a safe area.

"They're giant spiders with heads like a man, but with sharp teeth. They usually use axes, and are known for hunting at night. They go after villages sometimes, and knights are called in to deal with the problem."

"By yourselves?" Legolas asked.

"Well, the first time I went I was a squire; it was just me, my knight commander, another knight, and his squire, Ron. Then I went a few more times with other knights, and most recently I led my company to the border where they were hiding in the forests."

"You lead a company?" Boromir asked incredulously. Her thumb found it's way to the scar on her palm and she forced a pleasant tone.

"Yes. For a year now. They'll be assigned a new commander until I return." She told him simply, putting an end to the conversation abruptly. "How long do you think we'll be able to travel today?" She asked Gandalf.

"Until nightfall. I think we should set up camp then…it would do us no good to travel if would could not see to defend ourselves."

Soon the hobbits began eating, offering food to everyone else, most of whom refused. Anne though hadn't eaten since the previous day, and accepted a plate of what appeared to be bacon and sausage. Nibbling at the dubiously greasy food, she took a long drink of her water and sat back, letting her feet hang off the rocks. They already ached and she kicked them against the rocks, glad that she had gotten in the habit of stretching and exercising even when she wasn't on any kind of quest. Otherwise her muscles would be aching even worse now.

* * *

After resting for about an hour Gandalf stood with a grunt, leaning on his staff, something Anne suspected was mostly for show. The rest followed suit, as the hobbits picked up their bags and put out the fire. Pulling her pack back on her back, she stretched and leapt to her feet, ready to set off again.

That evening they stopped once again to make camp. Anne smiled as the hobbits threw themselves on the ground, apparently not accustomed to so much walking. The others grinned as well, stepping around them without complaint. There was no shelter around for a few more miles, so they set out bedrolls, which were apparently what was stored on Bill the Pony. There was one for everyone, and they set up in a circle, and Aragorn volunteered to take the first watch. Next would be Boromir, then Gimli, Anne volunteered for the next to last watch, her least favorite, and then Legolas would take the last watch. They agreed that they would switch off every night so that no one would get too tired. The hobbits began cooking again over a low fire while the others sat on their bedrolls, mostly smoking. Anne waved Pippin's offer of a pipe away and lay back on the thin cloth, easily able to feel the chill of the ground beneath her back.

"Why don't you help with the cooking?" Anne closed her eyes, sincerely hoping that Boromir wasn't speaking to her. There was a tense silence. "My Lady?" Sighing, she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"My name is Anne, Boromir. We're apparently going to working together for quite some time, so you'd might as well use it." She spoke tersely. "And why don't you help with the cooking? I wasn't aware they needed any help, but certainly you, who is so much more experienced and wiser than I am, can help prepare a meal." The hobbits watched her anxiously, obviously wondering if she was going to snap. Rolling her eyes, she turned to the hobbits. "Would you like some help Sam?" She asked softly. He shook his head.

"We've got it, my L…Anne." She snorted.

"Any more questions, Boromir?" She turned back to the sour faced man who was, surprisingly enough, smiling in amusement, rather than glaring in annoyance like she had been expecting. She was dismayed to find that he was a bit more difficult to hate when he was smiling like that. Disarmed, she let the smirk fall from her face.

"None." He laughed. "My apologies, my Lady." This time, his voice was teasing, and she rolled her eyes. She'd dealt with her share of teasing men, and they were typically more pleasant and easier to deal with than the jerks.

'Maybe he'll stick to teasing for a little while.' She'd known several men who went from teasing to grudging respect. 'Maybe there's hope for Boromir.' Grinning at the sky, she closed her eyes and felt Mori come over and nestle next to her neck.

* * *

This time, a hand on her shoulder woke her. Jerking into action, she closed her finger against the dagger she kept by her side when she went on any king of quest, and held it to the intruder's neck. Her eyes adjusted and she let go with a gasp, then dropped the dagger. "Gimli!" She whispered to the wide-eyed dwarf.

"Your turn for watch, lassie." He whispered, a bit shakily. She nodded, still guilty, but he didn't seem interested in any apologies. Rubbing at his neck where the dagger had been, he crawled into his bedroll. Groaning quietly, she crawled out of her own bedroll and crawled to the top of one of the rocks overlooking the circle of the fellowship. It was as quiet as it ever got outside, the only noise was the occasional chirp of a bird, and the constant hum of the insects.

She scanned the area, keeping her back to the circle of her sleeping companions. After waiting for a few minutes, she stood and, dagger in hand, silently stood and made her way around the circle, keeping a sharp lookout by using the giant stones as a footpath. After checking the perimeter, she sat back on her rock again, feeling the cold slowly seep through her body. Every ten minutes she did the same, making rounds, then sitting back down, keeping her ears peeled for any unusual noise. So after a few rounds, she jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder. Whirling, she pulled out her dagger and grabbed the hand, about to scream when a hand covered her mouth. She started to scream when there was a mouth next to her ear.

"Anne!" It whispered urgently. She froze, then relaxed, easing her grip on the arm and turning to find a fair face next to hers.

"What is with you people and sneaking up on me?" She snarled. Legolas rubbed his wrist and shook his head with a rueful smile, and she realized that she hadn't apologized.

"Sorry." She mumbled, placing the dagger back into her belt.

"No…that was impressive. I shouldn't have scared you. Good night." She bid him goodnight and climbed off the rock, then climbed into her bedroll, knowing already that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

* * *

She realized that she must have dozed lightly for a while, because the next time she opened her eyes it was lighter outside, and there was smoke in the air. She started to jump up, but soon smelled the bacon that the hobbits were always cooking, and relaxed, closing her eyes once again. In her travels with all sorts of people, she had learned that the best time to eavesdrop was when everyone thought you were asleep.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" She jumped when something was dropped on top of her. Sitting up, she glared down at the hunk of cloth on her lap, then at Boromir's retreating back. Deciding to teach him the same lesson she had taught Ron about messing with her in the morning, she reached over and selected a smooth stone, then, pulling her arm back, hurled it at his back. He yelped in surprise, and then turned in indignant shock, but she was already on her feet, rolling up her bedroll and strapping it to the pony.

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know if you liked it, or if you have any questions/comments/etc. **


	7. A Competition

**Everything except Anne and her bird belong to either Tamora Pierce or JRR Tolkien….just so you know.**

A Competition

One day, after nearly two weeks of traveling, they came to a rocky field where they stopped for a rest. The hobbits, now a little better accustomed to traveling, jumped right to starting a fire. Boromir and Aragorn had taken to hunting for their meals during breaks in the long trek, and were sometimes joined by Legolas who usually managed to outdo the two men. Legolas had also brought along some excellent tasting bread that Anne sometimes ate by itself, even refusing to share with Morri if she was particularly hungry, which usually resulted in the shameless bird begging some off of the elf. Gimli generally helped Anne unload the pony and put out the bedrolls when they stopped for the night, but for now they just placed the packs on the ground to give the shaggy little horse a rest.

"Are we there yet?" Anne laughed as Mori drooped on her shoulder.

"Idiot bird. You've been riding the pony all day!" Still, she brought a hand up to stroke her feathers, scratching a bit behind her head where she liked the best.

"Where'd you get her?" Pippin asked suddenly. It was rare that any of the hobbits spoke to the others, but on occasion one of them, usually Pippin, would speak up. Anne walked over to where the hobbits were gathered around the fire, holding out pieces of leftover meat from the morning. Gathering a couple of sticks, she helped feed the fire and sat down between Frodo and Pippin.

"I didn't 'get' her." She told the four. "She showed up one day and decided that I was hers." The raven flew over to Pippin and nestled in his curly hair. "Nearly fell off my horse the first time she talked to me. I was even more frightened when I realized that no one else could hear her. But she explained quickly enough. Only those she wants to hear her are able." Pippin tried to gently dislodge the bird but only got a peck and a sharp nip as thanks. Giving up, he went about his task with a bird on his head, much to everyone's amusement.

Both Aragorn and Boromir had walked a ways away to hunt for some more food, and Legolas was keeping watch on top of one of the hills. Anne removed the belt around her waist and sighed happily as the weight of her sword and dagger was removed. "Why do you always carry that fan, lassie?" She glanced up at Gimli who was pulling himself up onto a rock, but keeping a sharp eye on the pony, lest he wander off.

"It's a shukusen." Anne told him with a smile, opening it with a snap, and letting everyone see the razor edge. "A fighting fan." Picking up a stick from the pile, which the hobbits were using to make a fire, she slashed it with the fan, cutting it easily in two. "It's a popular weapon for court ladies, or for when you need a weapon hidden in plain sight."

Boromir, Legolas, and Aragorn chose this moment to return, their eyes on the red and white weapon as they handed two rabbits to the hobbits. Loosing interest in the weapon, the four took to cleaning their lunch as the others stepped closer. Legolas stepped closer and Anne tilted the fan for them to see. He held out a hesitant hand. "It's a shu-ku-sen?" He repeated slowly. "May I?" Anne smirked, thinking quickly.

"Can I see your bow?" He looked up in surprise as she snapped the fan shut, slipping it behind her back. He thought for a second, and then laughed.

"Of course." Lifting it out of his quiver, he held out the beautifully carved weapon for her to take, which she did with no small amount of reverence, easily handing over the fighting fan, which Legolas opened and carefully ran a finger over the edge.

"Can you shoot a bow, my Lady?"

She didn't even glance up from the smooth wood as she ran her hands across the intricate carvings. "A far sight better than you, I'd wager." She answered Boromir easily, also ignoring everyone's laughter. "I couldn't bring my longbow…too hard to carry along with everything else…but nothing I've ever shot even compares with this."

"The elves make the best weapons." Aragorn informed her with a nod. Pulling out his own dagger, he held it out for inspection, and she nearly cried when she mentally compared it to her own.

"I have to get one of these…. and one of these…" She looked back at the bow in her hands, and then reluctantly handed it over.

"I'll admit, you could probably outshoot me, my Lady…" She glanced up at Boromir who spoke in a sly tone. "But I'll wager anything you can't outshoot Legolas."

"I'd have to be an idiot to take that wager." Anne said with a laugh, taking her fighting fan and closing it with a soft snap. "With a bow like that, he could outshoot anyone!"

"Using the same bow!" Boromir said impatiently. "And shooting the same target." She thought about it for a moment, but noticed the reproving looks both Aragorn and Legolas were shooting the other man.

"No…you're not telling me something. You'd never make a wager you weren't sure you'd win. What is it?" She turned to Legolas. "Can elves use their own bows better than anyone else? Or are they just the best at shooting."

"Elves are renown for their eyesight." Gandalf spoke up from his place beside the hobbits. "As well as for their shooting. You could certainly never beat him in a shooting match." She eyed his bow once again.

"I could try." She looked hopefully up at Legolas who smiled.

"Very well."

* * *

Aragorn was chosen to judge the contest, and although Anne had no hope of winning, she was eager to try the bow. Taking his dagger, he carved a circle into a small tree nearby, and then had them shoot from a point about 300 yards away. Motioning for Anne to go first, Legolas handed her one of his arrows. She felt the smooth wood between her fingers, taking a deep breath, and accepted the arrow, her eyes struggling to focus on the small target. Boromir stood by Aragorn and began to back up in mock anxiety. Forcing herself to ignore him, along with the elf beside her, and the audience of six sitting on the sidelines, she brought the arrow up and pulled the bow back, feeling her muscles work in that familiar way. Taking another deep breath, she released the arrow, already knowing that even if she didn't hit dead center, her form was perfect.

Once again, she relinquished the bow to Legolas who shot his own arrow effortlessly, and they made their was over to where the group gathered to stare at their makeshift target. As she approached, she saw that one of the arrows was in the center of the mark, and another was right at the edge. Knowing immediately which was hers, she sighed and crossed her arms good-naturedly. "Well, there's that matter settled, my Lord." She grinned at the elf. "You've got me beat with a bow, and I don't dare ask how you are with close combat. I'm sure you're the best on a horse as well. Is there anything you don't excel at?"

He laughed, and Aragorn patted her on the shoulder. "You did better than most of us could, and that shot was deadly accurate regardless." Legolas nodded.

"How long have you been using a bow?" He wondered.

"Since I started training at eleven. So nine years now. But a glaive is my favorite…it would have been too large to carry though."

"I've never seen one." Aragorn admitted.

"It's from the same land as my shukusen. It's a long spear with a curved blade on the end." She glanced up with a grin to see Boromir trying to pull the arrows out of the tree. Both were firmly lodged no amount of pulling could remove them, and the hobbits were looking at her with a new respect. She grinned. 'Good. They ought to know that I'm as good as any man…maybe not as good as an elf though…'

* * *

That night Anne took the first watch. It was, without a doubt, her favorite, as it allowed her to sleep through the night. After standing guard for a while, she woke Aragorn and crawled back into her bedroll, which lay between Gimli and Boromir, she instantly fell asleep, Mori at her side, and her dagger under her pillow.

She hadn't dreamt of her Aunt for nearly five months, but she figured later that it was the stress…stress and fear usually brought back her worst memories. She was in her bedroom, the tiny, windowless room she slept in. Her little brother was beside her, the lie coming back to taunt her in the form of a dream. He sat up and begged her not to leave him. Begged and pleaded, falling on his knees, just like that night so long ago that it seemed another lifetime. "Please don't leave me!" Over and over, as she threw her things into a bag.

"I'll come back for you." Over and over, an empty promise…. she knew that when she said it. 'He'll get away…she doesn't hate him…he'll be fine.' The stab of guilt as she snuck out the door…that was just as familiar. But unlike that night, this time she was caught. And her aunt was screaming, and the oven was hot, and the metal handle was hot, and then her hand was hot, and she knew not to yell because it would make it so much worse. Seeing that victory in her aunt's eyes would be unbearable. But it hurt. It hurt so much and she couldn't stop screaming, and her aunt was smiling and it hurt…it really hurt!

Anne jerked awake and looked down at her hand, surprised to find the source of her pain was Mori's sharp beak, biting her so hard that it nearly drew blood. Something dripped on her arm and she looked wildly around before realizing that the water was from her eyes. 'I'm crying.' She thought numbly. Wiping her eyes hastily, she ran a shaking hand over Mori's feathers.

"You didn't call out." The bird reassured her. "I woke you before it got to that."

Anne nodded in thanks, not willing to speak and wake any of her companions. She glanced over and quickly located Gimli, who sat with his back to her, staring out at the endless plains, watching for trouble. Mentally saying a fervent prayer of thanks to Ron's Goddess (It couldn't hurt) she lay back down, curled up on her side, and found herself face to face with Boromir who was staring at her in the dark, his eyes unreadable. She felt her face flush with humiliation, and she rolled over onto her other side, too embarrassed to even scowl at him. 'I can't believe this. I might as well have shot myself in the foot today for all the respect he'll have for me now.'

She closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm her breathing, and for a split second, she was sure that she felt a gentle hand on her back. She flinched and it was gone. 'Good.' She thought. 'Hopefully I've offended him…or scared him off. No use getting too close to these people." Even she knew that it was an act though. Crushing the impulse to scream in frustration, she closed her eyes.

After a little while, she heard someone stir and she opened her eyes. Legolas was standing, yawning silently, and then bent to pick up his bow. She shut her eyes quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed her watching. A few seconds later she felt him walk by, and she listened to Gimli crawl into his own bedroll beside her. Within a few minutes his breathing evened out, and soft snores filled her ears. But every time she closed her eyes she could see her brother, on his knees, tugging at her leg. Finally she gave up and sat cross-legged on top of the fabric. She turned to glance at Legolas, and found the elf staring at her.

Once again, her face turned hot. 'Still.' She reasoned with herself. 'He probably doesn't know why I'm up…even if he is oddly perceptive.' She stood, stepping off of he fabric in only her stockings, and walked over to where he sat. He stared at her in silence as she sat on the rock next to him, and then leaned over to look at her face. Belatedly, she realized that her eyes must still be red from crying. "Who's next?" She spoke just above a whisper, knowing that he could hear her perfectly.

"Boromir." He answered in the same tone, turning back to stare into the distance.

"The hobbits could keep watch."

He glanced over at her. "They could." He said carefully, and then turned back to keeping a look out.

The first time she'd had a nightmare while traveling had been with Ron. It had been his turn to keep watch, and she had startled him with her tossing and turning. That night he had sat beside her while she cried of fear and home, and guilt. He'd forgiven the fact that she wouldn't tell him why she cried, accepting nightmares as a feeble excuse. He'd been only twelve himself, the both of them pages, and away from home as knights in training for the first time. That had been a great feat for a twelve-year-old boy; listening to a little girl cry was hard for any male. But he'd done all the right things: holding her, whispering that it would be okay…even kissing her forehead; that was the first of two times he kissed her throughout their time together, and the only time it wasn't followed by a fight.

Now as she took deep, shaky breaths to calm her shaking hands she felt a hand on her shoulder. Reminded so strongly of her dear friend who would do anything to keep her from crying, she scooted closer and leaned against his shoulder. 'Just a second.' She told herself firmly. 'I'll be fine in just a minute…this passes, and then I'll be a knight again. Because that's what I am. I'm a Lady Knight, one of the best in the kingdom. I'm a warrior. And warriors don't let stupid things like nightmares scare them like this.'

His arm looped around her loosely, and rested on her shoulder. Once, when she had been a squire, another boy had done that to her as they sat on patrol. But he had been older, and had wanted to kiss her afterwards. He made her feel scratchy and closed in, and she hadn't tolerated his arm for more than a few seconds. But this felt like Ron; an older brother holding his little sister. A father holding his daughter. Familiar and safe.

"Are you alright?" She realized that it had been more than a second, and tried to jerk away, but his hand stayed around her shoulders for a minute.

"Sorry." She said brusquely. "Nightmare. I didn't mean to bother you." She felt rather than heard him sigh, and winced at how shaky her voice still was. She cleared her throat to try again, and he let her sit up.

He stared at her in silent reproach. He knew she was lying…it was obvious even to her. She managed to shake her head and force a cheery smile.

"Good night, Legolas. It's nearly time for Boromir to take over. You should get some rest." She felt his sharp eyes on her all the way back to her spot on the ground, and even as she climbed into the cloth sleeping bag, even if she pointedly ignored it.

**Please review if you enjoyed :) Thank you for reading!  
**


	8. The Mysteries of Ravens

**Short chapter…sorry. I'm kind of really busy even though it's spring break :D And the internet is out at my apartment. Anyway thank you reviewers! LILEVILONE96 and UntilNeverDawns, you are lovely people and make encourage me to keep writing. So thank you so much!**

The Mysteries of Ravens

Anne dropped onto a boulder, resisting the urge to kick off her boots and massage her aching feet. She felt like she had been walking for years. The sun was rising in the sky, and already she was a little too warm. Gimli started unpacking Bill, and she groaned, reluctantly pulling herself upright to help. Pulling the bags off the pony and placing them on the ground, the two worked together to unburden the tired little brown pony, and Anne ran her hands over his neck, giving him a good scratch on the back. He stretched out happily and brought his head around to nudge her. Mori squawked and landed on his back, snuggling up with her new friend. "Are we getting close yet?" The raven wondered.

"How would I know?" She asked aloud, paying little mind to the strange looks the rest of the group was giving her. "I hardly know where we are now. Besides, you know this place better than I do, so stop playing dumb." She dropped back onto the ground and watched Sam start a small fire for cooking. There had not been time for enough breakfast apparently, so they were making it now. Boromir stood in the middle of the rock circle, looking around thoughtfully.

"Merry, Pippin!" He invited with a grin. The aforementioned hobbits frowned at one another, then complied, walking past Aragorn and the two other hobbits and standing in front the tall light-haired man. Aragorn produced a pipe and sat on the rocks near Frodo and Sam who were eating. Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf stood a ways away, talking in hushed tones. Anne climbed onto the rocks by Aragorn to watch as Boromir pulled out his sword, and the hobbits followed suit.

Training commenced, with Boromir taking turns with each of the two as he counted aloud, hitting his sword against the short swords in the hobbits' hands. "Three, two!" He called as his sword clanged against Pippin's. Anne watched silently, the sight bringing back memories of her first year of training. It had felt like they were being taught nothing but blocking during every lesson at first, but they found these lessons the most useful later on when they had started real sparring. "Faster!" Boromir called, stepping closer to Pippin.

"Move your feet!" Aragorn instructed around his pipe. Sam shook his head while Frodo laughed at their friends. Anne caught herself grinning as well; the two little hobbits fighting the warrior really did look ridiculous.

"If anyone were to ask for my opinion, which I know they're not…I'd say we're taking the long way round."

Anne glanced over at the dwarf whose booming voice carried over to where she sat.

"Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome." Anne leaned toward them in interest. The constant walking was bearable, but boring and tiresome. A shortcut, even through a mine, sounded wonderful at this point.

"No Gimli. I would not take that road unless I had no other choice." Before Anne could call out and cast her vote for the shortcut, Legolas leapt onto the rock beside Gimli, accentuating their already great height difference. Grinning, and wondering if the elf was showing off, she turned her attention back to the hobbits attempting to train with Boromir.

Suddenly, Merry took a step to the side, but put his sword up a second too late, and dropped it abruptly when Boromir's sword slid and accidently caught his hand.

Anne lifted an eyebrow as the larger man stepped forward quickly, a hand out. "Oh! Sorry!" He cried, only be kicked in the knee by the hobbit.

"Get him!" One of them cried, and Pippin managed to tackle Boromir to the ground. Anne laughed aloud as he wrestled with them, grinning and carefully trying to extract them without hurting them.

"For the Shire!" Aragorn laughed loudly at the declaration, and then pulled himself to his feet.

"Gentlemen, that's enough!" He strode to the wrestling group and reached for the hobbits who promptly pulled his feet out from under him, knocking him onto his back in the dirt.

"Not my arm! Not my arm!" A hobbit cried as Anne stepped forward from her rock, bending over beside Aragorn and offering him a hand up, still laughing. He took the hand gratefully and apparently decided to let the three be. She turned to the others, wondering if this would turn into an all out brawl, but was abruptly sobered when she saw the look on Legolas's face. Sam and Frodo were looking at him as well, then turned their attention to a cloud in the distance.

"What is it?" Anne asked, joining the others. She could barely make out the dark shape, but it was moving closer.

"Nothing! Just a wisp of cloud." Gimli said loudly, but his voice betrayed his doubts.

"It's moving fast…and against the wind." Boromir was pulling the hobbits to their feet, all mirth gone from his face.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted. About to ask if that was a code, Anne jumped as Aragorn shouted beside her.

"Hide!" Not unused to such orders, Anne raced to the circle and began throwing their bags under bushes, between rocks…anywhere they could go, as quickly as possible while Frodo and Sam put out the fire and hid their cutlery. The group ducked under rocks and bushes, and Anne managed to crawl into a bush beside Merry and Pippin before a flock of huge crows swarmed over them. Not sure why they were hiding from a flock of crows but also trusting Aragorn, Anne all but held her breath, hoping desperately not to give them away with any movement on her part. Absently, she hoped Mori had found a place to hide as well.

After what felt like a full minute of hiding in the bushes, everyone began to emerge from their hiding places. Looking around, Anne was relieved to spot Mori in a nearby tree. "Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched." As Gandalf spoke, Mori flew to her shoulder and picked a twig out of her hair.

"He's going to take you over the mountains." The bird informed her quietly. No one else looked over, so she assumed that no one could hear her friend but her. She stepped away from the others.

"What about Moria?" She asked softly. The raven didn't reply, but tugged on her hair a bit in a comforting manner. Anne tuned back in to the conversation for a moment, and realized that everyone was packing up their things again. "What are Crebain?" She asked the bird as she picked up her bag and pulled in onto her back.

"Birds that work for Saruman, an evil wizard." Anne lifted an eyebrow.

"How exactly do you know this?"

As she had half expected, there was no answer. Rolling her eyes at her needlessly secretive friend, Anne followed the others as they began walking toward the mountain, all the while preparing herself for climb she was most certainly not looking forward to.

**Please review if you enjoyed. Thank you so much for reading. **


	9. Mountains and Mines

**Thank you so much to LILEVILONE96 (who is my favorite reviewer and my favorite person!) and to FirePsycho14 for reviewing. :) Thanks also to everyone who favorited or added the story to your alerts. I appreciate it so much and you are all very kind. **

**I sometimes quote LOTR (if not directly, then in some way shape or form.) Please don't sue me because I do not own LOTR or any of Tamora Pierce's books. **

Mountains and Mines

It wasn't just cold; it was bloody freezing. Anne pulled her cloak around her shoulders as tightly as possible, taking deep breaths of the sharp, cold air and wincing as it burned her lungs. Mori huddled on her shoulder under her hair, and Anne brought an aching hand up to cover her friend better. "You okay?" She asked quietly.

"Just wonderful, Annie girl." Her bird sounded a little too chipper, and Anne rolled her eyes.

'Well she would be. She's not doing any actual work.' In front of her, she could make out Gimli and Gandalf, and then in front of them, Legolas seemed to walk on top of the snow, his feet making no tracks on the thick white blanket that covered everything in sight. Behind her, Boromir, the four hobbits and Aragorn made up the rear. The wind was freezing, and she tried to pull her hood over her head, but it was quickly blown back off of her head. Giving up, she tucked her hands back under the cloak, wishing for something heavier. The others didn't seem to be bothered too much by the growing cold, but she assumed they were just better at hiding it.

Suddenly Mori let out a screech and took flight, pulling out a few of her hairs. Bringing a hand up to the smarting patch of skin on her neck, Anne, along with the rest of the group, turned. A few meters behind the rest of them, Boromir was looking at something in his hand, Aragorn had a hand on his sword and was standing beside Frodo, and Frodo stood staring at Boromir with an expression she couldn't see. There was suddenly a figure beside her, and she turned to find Legolas at her side, and Gimli behind him. Legolas was fingering an arrow, his eyes narrow and focused on whatever the three were doing.

Mori circled around Boromir, and suddenly swooped down with a loud cry. Boromir cursed loudly and jumped back, then reached for the bird in irritation. Afraid for her friend, Anne crouched and stuck her hand in her boot, grabbed one of her throwing knives, and stood at the ready in case he managed to harm the bird. If he hurt her bird, he would pay for it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gimli staring at her in surprise, his eyes on the little knife in her hand. "Wait." Legolas said softly, his hand gripping the arm that held the knife.

A little black blur flew toward her, something shiny in it's talons. Dropping the hand with the knife, Anne watched as Mori approached. "Here." Mori cried. Surprised, Anne opened her hand, and something was dropped into it. Something heavy and cold. She looked at it carefully, holding the ring by the chain. She hadn't seen it this close before, and took a second to study the little object. It looked just like a normal gold ring, if a little larger. The surface was smooth, shiny, and almost reflective. She started to ask Mori what her reasoning behind this brilliant move was, but then someone was whispering her name, and it was terrible and she realized that she could be so powerful…so much more than a common girl turned knight…a queen…powerful and great and wonderful and…what?

Anne blinked sharply, shaking her head to dislodge the voice. Everyone stared at her warily, their eyes trained on her hand. Glancing over at Legolas, she realized that he had dropped his hand from the arrow and had his hand on his dagger. 'Of course.' She realized a bit numbly. 'The dagger would be so much easier at this range.' Clenching her fist around the chain and the ring, she began to walk. Her eyes trained on Frodo's, she approached him. The snow was thick, and it dragged at her ankles as she thought about how she would just have to walk right back up the slope. But this was important. She could see it in Frodo's eyes. These people had to trust her. And she wasn't going to let the temptation of whoever had invented this terrible thing undo her. Boromir took a step back as she approached, and Aragorn had dropped his hand from his sword, a small comfort. She wondered what Boromir had thought when he had held it. Would he try to take it from her now? She thought of Legolas, his hand on the elfish dagger, and knew that the ring would be safe from Boromir for the moment.

Frodo stared up at her, then straight at her as she crouched down in front of him. Holding out her hand, the ring lay flat on her palm, and he stared at it for a second before carefully pulling it out of her hand, and placing it back around his neck. "Thank you." He said softly. She grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder as she stood stiffly, the cold seeping into her joints and making her knees ache.

"Of course." Turning, she made her way back up the mountain. Lifting an eyebrow, she looked at Legolas, first letting her eyes linger on his hand, which still rested on the dagger, then at his face, her bright green eyes meeting his blue ones. "What did you expect?" She asked softly as she came to stand in front of him, letting her hurt show. Pushing past him, she bent down and placed the little knife, which she had apparently been holding, back into her boot. When she had stood up again, they were still staring at her. "Do we have a mountain to climb or not?" She snapped. "It's too cold to be standing around!" Brushing past both elf and dwarf, she followed Gandalf who had begun walking again. Mori returned to her shoulder, nuzzling her hair.

"Why'd you have to go and do that?" She asked softly.

"To prove a point." Anne decided to leave it at that. There wasn't anything she could do to get any more out of the bird, so she decided to leave it for the moment. Whatever point she was supposed to have proven, she hoped it had worked.

* * *

As they climbed higher up the mountain, the very earth beneath their feet seemed to shake. Aragorn kept his cloak over Frodo and Sam, and Boromir did the same with Pippin and Merry. Not sure what she could do to help, Anne kept to the mountainside and edged her way forward behind the others. Legolas walked up ahead, the only one of the group able to walk forward easily in the worsening blizzard. The wind shoved her back, making it nearly impossible to walk. Once she stumbled, her knees sinking into the cold snow, and she winced as the water soaked her legs. Taking a minute to take a breath, she kneeled in the snow as sharp pains ran up her legs from the cold.

A large hand gripped the back of her arm and pulled her up, shaking her firmly. She looked at the hand and realized that it was Boromir. He was holding her arm fiercely. "What are you doing!?" He shouted, shaking her again. "We can't stop." She blinked and brushed snow off of her knees, shivering again. The two hobbits were between the two of them, and were staring at her in concern. Aragorn was forced to stop behind Boromir and stared at her over his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He called over the wind. She pulled away from Boromir and nodded, turning around and walking again. She was so tired…Mori nipped her neck gently and she took a deep breath.

'You know better.' She told herself firmly. 'You know better! How stupid can you get? You can't just stop when it's this cold. You'll lay down and die.' She'd seen it happen plenty of times. "The first time we went to the mountains, we came across some bandits." She told Mori quietly, drawing her cloak back around her shoulders. Talking would help, she hoped. "They had stopped for a rest I suppose. Decided to lay down in the snow and sleep. They never got up." She looked over the cliff for a second, out at the white abyss, and knew that she didn't want to die here.

* * *

Anne felt like they had been walking in the snow for hours, and still the elf didn't seem to be effected by the snow swirling around him. She wondered briefly how it was that the elf seemed so at ease on the top of a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. Suddenly the mountain began to shake, and Gandalf was shouting, standing out in front of the rest, his staff out. She couldn't make out the words, but Legolas shouted something as well, and then Gandalf seemed to chant for a minute. Then there was a loud crack, and darkness.

Anne opened her eyes wide in shock. There was a sharp pain at the back of her neck, and something was running down her back…warm turning to cold. She tried to move around, but it was difficult. 'Avalanche.' She realized with a second of panic. 'Calm down. Get out of the snow.' Reaching up, she found that her hand could easily reach the open air. Someone took it and pulled, and she began to pull herself out of the drift. The snow seemed to soak into all of her clothes and she realized how cold she was. Reaching a hand back to her neck, she found Mori and pulled her into her arms, a shivering mess. "You okay?" She asked the bird. Mori nodded, still shivering, but apparently fine. Reaching back again, she found that her hand came back bloody from where the bird had apparently bit her…or scratched her. There was no telling. Anne looked up at the others, giving Aragorn, who was dusting snow off of the hobbits and had apparently been the one to help her up, a grateful nod.

"Everyone okay?" He called. Everyone replied in the affirmative.

"Gandalf! We must get off the mountain!" Aragorn shouted into the wind, but by the look on Gandalf's face he had heard him. Boromir shouted something about his city, and Gimli again insisted on Moria, which was sounding more and more appealing.

"We'll let the ring bearer decide." Gandalf said finally. "Frodo?" Anne looked down at Frodo, along with the others. For a moment, he met her eyes. She wondered if she looked as terrible as the rest of them, soaked in snow and freezing.

"We'll go through the mines." Frodo announced softly.

Gandalf took a long moment, as if to absorb this new development. Anne had to wonder what could be so terrible about these mines, but if Gandalf looked so frightened, she began to wonder if this was such a good idea. But finally he nodded. "So be it."

* * *

The walk down the mountain was almost as much fun as the walk up. Still, the air warmed as they moved downward, and the going got less treacherous as they traveled, so that by nightfall they were back on solid ground, and Anne felt almost warm again. Still, her clothes were soaked through, so when they stopped for a rest, she opened her pack and pulled her only change of clothes out. The breast-band would have to stay, since it was the only one she had, and she decided that she could clean it later. It wasn't dirty yet anyway, just wet from the snow. Pulling her tunic over her head, she threw it on the ground and reached for another one, stopping when she heard a gasp.

Boromir was staring at her in abject horror, while the others stared at her in a mixture of surprise and shock. Anne realized with no small amount of irritation that Boromir's eyes strayed down her body for a second before resting again on his face. Anne then realized that she had only ever changed in her bedroll. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and faced him, ignoring any embarrassment she felt at being only in her underwear and pants. "Boromir, the sight of you without a shirt does not drive me mad with lust, so you needn't pretend the sight of me in the same condition does anything of the sort to you. For goodness sake, you act like you've never seen a woman before." Turning back around, she pulled the fresh tunic over her head, then reached down and removed her belt. Glancing back, she saw Aragorn and Legolas turn around, and Boromir quickly followed suit. Glad for a bit of privacy, she pulled the wet pants off and put the new ones on. This was the worst part of being a woman among men.

* * *

They camped there that night, then started early the next morning for the mines. Anne walked with the hobbits and the pony toward the back, and soon they came to a dark cavern. Anne looked around uneasily. The huge body of water that sat beside the mountain seemed to move occasionally, and she didn't really want to know what lived in there. Keeping her feet as dry as possible, she watched as the hobbits stumbled through the wet, swampy ground. One of them stepped in a deep puddle and shook his feet in disgust

"Um…where is the door to Moria?" She asked softly in the silence. Gimli turned to her in the dark.

"Dwarves doors are invisible when closed. Even their masters cannot find them if their secret's are forgotten." Anne stared at the blank wall for a moment.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas rolled his eyes. Gimli gave an irritated growl and Anne grinned. Gandalf approached a section of the rock wall, and suddenly the moon shone down on it, revealing a glowing arch in the wall. Anne gasped in surprise, stepping a little closer as she stared at the beautiful carvings.

"It reads…" Gandalf lifted his staff. "The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry wondered aloud.

"Well it's quite simple really. If you're a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." Suddenly he spoke loudly in a strange tongue. Everyone watched expectantly, but surprisingly, nothing happened. Again he tried, but nothing.

Legolas sighed and glanced down at Pippin, who was staring up at him. "Nothings happened." The elf snorted. Gimli stared incredulously as Gandalf began pushing against the doors to no avail.

"I once knew all the spells in all the tongues of elves, men, and dwarves." Gandalf grumbled.

"What are you going to do then?" Pippin spoke up cheerfully.

"Knock your head against these walls Perigrin Took! And if that does not work, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."

After a while, everyone sat down on the rocks, Gandalf's chanting falling into the background. Aragorn took the opportunity to walk over to Sam, whose hands held Bill's lead rope. "The mines are no place for a pony Sam. Not even one so brave as Bill." He spoke gently, but Sam's face still crumbled as Aragorn began to remove the halter. Anne walked over and, after placing a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder, helped Aragorn remove the bags. They would all have to carry their bags from then on, or leave them. Anne wondered at the Pony's inability to go into the mines, but assumed it was because of the treacherous terrain.

'Still,' she thought, we led him up a mountain with little trouble.'

"Go on Bill." Aragorn said, turning the pony. "Don't worry Sam. He knows the way home."

"Goodbye Bill." Sam whispered.

Anne heard a splash and turned to the water where Pippin stood with a stone in his hand, obviously about to throw it in. Aragorn walked over quickly and caught his hand, whispering something urgently. The hobbit stared out at the water, then nodded, his eyes still trained on the darkness. Boromir joined Aragorn at the water's edge, and they stared out for a moment. Feeling goosebumps rise on her arms, Anne turned to Frodo, who had stood and approached the door.

"Speak friend….and enter." Frodo spoke aloud in the dark. "What's the elfish word for friend?" Frodo asked the group. Gandalf looked up.

"Mellon." He answered quietly. Suddenly there was a loud crack, and the door split open.

Everyone stood immediately and began to make their way into the hole in the mountain. Anne followed Aragorn and Boromir, who were the last to enter.

"So master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves." Gimli's voice echoed through the cave. "Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone." He turned back to Anne, and waved an arm about as Gandalf lit his staff. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine!" Anne stopped listening as the staff illuminated the beautiful hall…filled with corpses.

"This is no mine." Boromir said softly as Gimli stared in horror at the skeletons. "It is a tomb!"

Legolas knelt down and pulled an arrow out of a corpse, the dropped it and strung one of his own. "Goblins!" Aragorn and Boromir followed suit, pulling out their swords, and Anne reached down and pulled a knife from her boot.

"We make for the gap of Rohan." Boromir said softly. "We should never have come here. Now get out of here!"

Suddenly the hobbits were shouting. Turning sharply, Anne felt her feet move before she was even aware of it. Frodo was being dragged off by something around his foot. Sam pulled out his sword and sliced at it, severing a tentacle. "Strider!" He shouted.

"Aragorn!" The others turned, and Aragorn ran over to where Anne crouched beside Frodo, about to help him up. Mori screeched in the silence, and suddenly they were thrown on to their backs by a mass of tentacles; all except Frodo, who was dragged over the water and into the air by his ankle. They all stared as he was dangled over a great beast that rose out of the water. An arrow sailed past Anne's head, and she cursed the fact that she hadn't brought her own bow. Aragorn and Boromir ran into the water, swords brandished as they sliced at the legs, all while Frodo screamed for Aragorn. Clutching the little knife still in her hand, Anne aimed at the face of the beast and threw the knife as hard as she could.

There was a large screech as it found it's mark beside one of it's eyes, and the beast flailed, a tentacle catching Boromir and knocking him into the water where he disappeared for a moment. Anne pulled out her own sword and raced into the water, ducking under a tentacle that grabbed for her, then cutting another one with a clean slice. She made her way closer to the center of the creature, where all the legs met in a circular blob with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. Cutting off the end of an appendage that was going for Boromir, she reached out a hand and yanked him up, then joined the two in once again trying to cut off the tentacle that held the screaming hobbit in the air. Finally Boromir managed to pick the right one, and the hobbit fell into his arms with a thump.

"Go! Inside the mine!" Gandalf screamed. Anne made for the shore with the other two as the other hobbits and Gimli raced into the mine. She caught sight of Legolas standing on the edge of the shore, his bow out and arrow ready.

"Legolas!" She called. "Aim for the eye!" She didn't dare pause long enough to turn around as they all made it onto dry ground. There was the snap of a bowstring, and Anne literally felt the feather of the arrow touch the top of her head, and felt of rush of gratitude for Legolas's wonderful aim. There was another scream from the monster, and it surged out of the water just as they all raced through the doorway. There was a great crash as the rocks came raining down over the entrance, the everyone stopped to stare as the rocks cut off the light from outside, trapping them inside.

Everyone paused to catch their breath as Gandalf lit his staff. "It seems we have but once choice." He said eventually. Anne looked around at the corpses that lay on the stairs and in the hall. Mori flew over to her shoulder and Anne brought up a hand to stroke the bird, hoping that whatever had killed the dwarves of Moria was no longer around.

**Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate it so much and hope you enjoyed it. If there are any errors or questions, please let me know. Thanks. :)**


	10. Hiking Through Moria

**_Thank you so much to LILEVILONE96, UntilNeverDawns, and FirePsycho14 for reviewing! You guys are wonderful! Thank you also to the people who favorited or followed. It means so much that you enjoy the story that I love writing. Sorry if this chapter is a bit short..._**

Hiking Through Moria

As a rock under her foot broke loose for the hundredth time in a few hours, sending her crashing forward, Anne cursed her eagerness to take a shortcut through a mine. The path was almost too dark to see, and the bits of light that Gandalf's stick put out were hardly enough to see by. Groping blindly in the dark, she winced and moaned softly as her face connected with the stone steps. Mori screeched from her shoulder and leaped into the air, finding a perch on Gimli who walked in front of her. Wondering if dwarves could see better in the dark, she started to pick herself up, brushing off the debris that lodged in her hands. Wiping gently at her face, she smelled the sharp scent of blood on her hands and sighed, mentally adding her face to the long list of places where she was scarred.

"You okay, lass?" Gimli's deep voice was still rough from sorrow, but she appreciated the concern.

"Fine." She said softly, careful to keep her voice pitched soft. Gandalf had warned them that they should be as quiet as possible when passing though the mines, and Anne wondered if Mori's cry had upset anything. Still, there was little she could do about it now. After brushing the dirt and rocks from the hose over her now scraped knees, she began walking again. Not ten minutes later, one of the hobbits fell as well, picking himself up just as quickly. It was hard going, especially considering the corpses that lay haphazardly along the path, and the ground that seemed to be crumbling beneath their feet.

* * *

When they had been walking for what felt like weeks but what Anne assumed was more like a day, they stopped and decided to rest for the night…or however many hours it was supposed to be. They had been underground less than a day, and already Anne was unable to tell the time. Just thinking about it made her claustrophobic, so she took a deep breath and, feeling around carefully, located a rock to sit on. The air was still and cool, and she pulled her cloak around her more tightly, hoping to block the chill. Mori hopped down from Gimli's shoulder and burrowed into her shoulder and under her ponytail, the bird's favorite spot. The others joined her among the rocks, and Legolas passed out some of his bread to the others. Anne waved it away when it got to her. The thought of eating amongst all these corpses made her want to sick up, and she preferred not to waste food.

Anne volunteered for the first watch, and Frodo took the second. After that she didn't bother listening. She knew who to wake when the time came…that was all she cared about. Sitting perched on a rock, staring out into the darkness so thick that she couldn't see past the end of her nose, she imagined all sorts of terrors, as if her mind wished to entertain itself. The soft sounds of her own breathing became the whispered movements of the giant spiders she so hated. Gimli's snoring turned into the growling of the monsters she had hidden from outside of Rivendell. Taking deep breaths to calm her mind, and rubbing her hand with her thumb, she managed to put end to the ridiculous fears and focus.

But her mind wandered none the less. She thought about Ron, and wondered if he missed her. She had been gone for quite a while now; would he think her dead? Would he send a search party, or even come after her himself? Or would he have known that she would get herself involved in some type of quest? And what of her friends at the palace? She hadn't said goodbye to anyone before leaving….would he tell them what had happened? She hoped so. She wasn't close to anyone in the same way that she was with Ron, but she still didn't want the others to worry. She thought back to the company left without a knight commander. Would they miss her? They liked her well enough, or seemed to. 'But what if they were just waiting for me to die…what if they always wanted to get rid of me? Imagine, being assigned to a company under a woman…a commoner at that…'

A sudden noise brought her to her feet. It was a little thing, a tiny snap in the distance. Hand on her sword, she took a hesitant step forward to the edge of the rock, her eyes straining in the darkness. For a second, she thought about waking Legolas, who could surely see better than she could, but there was no other noise to be heard. Waiting for a moment, she decided that whatever it was, it wasn't going to attack them.

After a while, she went to wake Frodo for his watch. He wished her good night, and she climbed into her bag, closed her eyes, and was dead to the world. But nightmares have a way of finding you when you are hiding away in the dark. She hadn't been asleep a minute before she was dreaming, but this one was different. She was in the forest; not an uncommon theme for her dreams. She had been raised in one, first by her mother and then by her aunt. She was walking towards something, and as it so often was in dreams, she knew it was important but she didn't know why.

She came to a clearing, the soft light trickling through the trees. Frowning, she looked up at the canopy, watched the light filter through the golden leaves. Suddenly she stopped, shaking her head. She didn't want to do this again. She tried to back away, to turn, but she was glued to the spot. And there was the figure on the branch of the tree, crouching, watching her. Her feet seemed to be melted to the ground, and all she could do was watch as the figured jumped, the rope catching, the bounce as the silhouette reached the end of the rope, the terrible snapping sound. "Mommy!"

Jerking awake, Anne placed a hand over her mouth quickly, praying that the others couldn't hear her racing heart. There was no other sound, save for the steady breathing of the others, and Gimli's harsh, grating snores. Laying her head back on the thin cloth, she felt her cold tears run down her face and into her ears. Sniffing softly, and clenched her teeth and forced herself to be quiet. The others were trying to sleep, someone (she glanced over but couldn't make out who the person was) was on duty, and who knew what was waiting in the dark? No…she would be quiet, and then she would fall back to sleep.

The first half of that plan worked out fine. A life of dealing with her aunt, and then travelling with men and warriors all the time, she had learned to keep her emotions quiet and to herself…for the most part. But falling back to sleep was almost impossible. So she tried to rest, but she could have sworn she heard something…something breathing in the distance, or something walking around. Once, she was sure she heard a voice, whispering, growling in the dark.

* * *

Everyone woke around the same time, although no one was quite sure when that was. Gandalf again lit his staff, and they began to walk, making their way through ancient tunnels full of dirt and the occasional dead dwarf or goblin. Anne had never met a goblin, but the corpses weren't pretty, and she had no desire to encounter a live one. The hobbits chatted quietly for some of the trip, but mostly there was dead silence between them. Anne hadn't properly spoken to Legolas since he had all but threatened to kill her during Mori's brilliant plan involving an evil ring, and, whether he thought she was silly for snapping at him or because no one was speaking in the mines anyway, he made no attempt to speak with her. But as her luck would have it, three days into the mines, Anne woke once again from nightmares, and this time a hand on her shoulder shook her awake.

"Anne!" There was an urgent whisper in her ear, and she jerked back into consciousness, a restraining hand on her own keeping her from grabbing her dagger. "Shh." She managed to focus on the face in front of hers, and found Legolas's bright blue eyes staring into her own. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said softly. Sorry…" She managed. "Did I….did I say anything?" She asked a bit sheepishly.

"You…" He hesitated, his eyes not meeting hers. "Not loudly…you were whispering. You asked for your mother." She stiffened, then realized that his hand was still on hers. She pulled gently away, and Anne felt him squeeze her hand gently then let her go.

"Sorry." She said again, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He refuted her quietly. Rubbing her arms, she waiting in the awkward silence. "I am sorry though." She glanced up in surprise. "I shouldn't have doubted you." There was something that wasn't remorse in his eyes…more like happiness. "I'm glad we can trust you." He smiled.

"No…I mean…you don't have to be sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You were just trying to protect Frodo…the same as me. And Boromir…" She stopped. What could she say about Boromir? She thought of him teasing her, that open smile on his face, or the way he wrestled with Merry and Pippin. She thought about his passionate speech about Gondor and his people. But then she thought of the way he held the ring. Or when he saved Frodo from the giant monster in the lake. "Boromir…"

"The ring calls to him." Legolas spoke softly, almost gently. "It calls to everyone…it wants to be reunited with its master, and it will use _anyone_ to accomplish that. Boromir wants the power of the ring. He still thinks he can control it."

"And you?" He looked into her eyes, surprise written all over his face. "Does it call to you?"

Slowly, understanding came over his face. "What did it promise you?"

"Power. Same as Boromir I guess. I thought…I could be someone. Something more than a common girl from nowhere." She sighed. "But what about you?"

"You are." She lifted an eyebrow as he stood, his movements silent in the dark. "More than that." He whispered over his shoulder as he walked back to his bed.

Mori nibbled at her ear, then her hair, as if to console her. 'Why does everyone I know have to be so cryptic? ' She thought irritably, pointedly ignoring the pleased blush on her face.

**I hope you enjoyed. I know it was short but the next one should be longer :) Thank you so much for reading.**


End file.
